Tale of a Legend
by TheDarkAngel'sShadow
Summary: Tria seems like just a rising star in the Wardens, but what is her story? Why did she join the Wardens, and where did she get her exceptional skills? And how will she and her friends stand up to the evil that threatens the world's Fossil Parks? This is Tria's tale; the tale of a legend.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Wardens

An organization that maintains peace and ensures safety at the world's Fossil Parks. Wardens drive around Fossil Parks in vehicles known as Bone Buggies, which help them explore, excavate, and take part in lively Fossil Battles with their vivosaurs. But these parks are more than just fun and games…

And when trouble occurs in one of the vast dig sites that surround these parks, it's up to the Wardens to jump into their Bone Buggies and save the day!

Fossil Park Asia-home to the Warden headquarters-floats on the Pacific Ocean.

And right now, a very special guest is about to arrive at Warden HQ…

And this is her tale. The tale of a legend.


	2. Meet the Wardens

"Oh! Hi there! Welcome to Warden HQ!" a young woman kindly greeted me as I entered the Warden HQ building, "What's your name?"

"My name is Tria Seishin." I replied politely, hoping my smile would mask how nervous I was. I was finally here, at the Warden HQ, where I would become a Warden.

"Right-o! Let's see what we have here…" the woman said, smiling as she typed something into her computer, "So you're Tria, one of the new Warden candidates, eh? We've been expecting you." She then turned around toward a door behind her. "The other candidates have already gathered in the Captain's office through that door, so I'd hustle if I were you."

I looked at my watch and my eyes widened. "Oh no! I'm late!" I ran through the door, turning back to the receptionist to mutter a hasty, "Thank you very much!"

"Good luck, Tria!" I heard her call after me before she turned to greet someone who had just entered the building. I just ran into the elevator, letting it take me to the top floor.

When I got out, I saw a group of six people chatting with one another. They all turned to look at me as I ran into the room, putting my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.

"S-Sorry I'm late!" I gasped, still breathing hard. A girl with bright red hair and orange eyes approached me, one hand on her hip.

"Oh hey! Look who FINALLY decided to show up!" she laughed, grinning. She didn't sound annoyed, which was a relief. It didn't seem like the Captain had shown up yet.

The guy the red-haired girl had been talking to chuckled as he looked at me. He had purple hair that stood up in a single spike, except for his bangs, which covered his left eye. "Pfft. Rookie."

"Er…" a chubby male with light brown hair and a light green jacket with the image of the head fossil of a Triceratops on it spoke up, "I was under the impression that we would have eight candidates." He looked around the group. "Is someone still not here?"

I looked around too. "Well, at least I'm not the last person." I thought. I then turned back toward the elevator as I heard someone yell.

"OUTTA THE WAY! I'M RUNNIN' LATE!"

I quickly jumped back from the elevator door as a tall guy with messy pink hair and a blue jacket stumbled out.

"Sorry! So sorry! Apologies all around! Milo ran off with my alarm clock this morning." he apologized, looking around at us as he continued to ramble, "Milo's my dog, see? Good dog, but yeah. He likes to steal machinery. My clock…my wristwatch…my awesome miniature robot…my grandpa's pacemaker…" He stopped and looked around at all of the weird looks he was getting. "Huh? What's the deal? Why's everyone looking at me?"

The guy with the purple hair huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the newest-comer. "Can it already! No one cares!" I elbowed him in the side, earning me a glare as well.

The pink-haired guy backed off, trembling slightly. A girl with long blond pigtails walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Aw, it's okay." she said, her voice sweet and understanding, "The Captain's not even here yet."

The pink-haired guy sighed with relief, smiling at the blond girl. "For real? Man, that's a relief."

Right as he said that, we all heard the elevator activate. The pink-haired guy looked back at it, muttering, "Uh-oh…" as he took his place between the blond girl and the fat kid.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting." the man who came out of the elevator said. He had brown hair and a beige trenchcoat, and he gave off an aura of confidence and authority. Captain Stryker.

Captain Stryker, the head of the world's Fossil Parks and the leader of the Wardens, had stopped the world domination plans of a madman named Dr. Blackraven, who was locked up somewhere in the world, five years ago. Because of this accomplishment, he's respected and admired worldwide as a hero. I gulped, starting to get nervous again. The guy with the purple hair smirked at me, earning him another elbow to his side. The girl with the red hair stifled a laugh at this exchange.

Captain Stryker walked to his desk, the eyes of everyone in the room following him. "Nice to meet you all. I'm the leader of the Wardens, Captain Stryker." he introduced himself.

We all looked around at each other, several awed whispers rising from the group.

"This is so cool." The redhead whispered to me, her eyes gleaming.

"I know. This is awesome!" I whispered back excitedly.

"Heh. Rookies." the purple-haired guy muttered in amusement, before hissing in pain as we both elbowed his ribs. The redhead and I grinned at each other and exchanged a thumbs-up. We looked back at Stryker as a guy with dark blue hair and glasses approached him.

"You're the man who saved the world! It's a real honor, sir!" he said, barely managing to sound calm and unable to meet the Captain's eyes. Stryker smiled, holding out his hand.

"Thank you." he said as the kid with the glasses nervously took his hand and shook it. He then approached the group, holding a clipboard he had taken from his desk. "Right. Time for roll call." He looked at the clipboard, reading, "First up…Penny Lucente."

"Here, sir!" the girl with the blond hair answered, waving nervously.

"Roland Milis."

"H-Here!" the fat kid stuttered.

"Dahlia Kokinos."

"Rockin' and rollin', sir!" the red head next to me yelled, throwing her fist in the air.

"Leon Einzelgänger."

"…Hmph." the guy with the purple hair grunted, still subtly rubbing his sore ribs.

"Nate Maus."

"Oh hey, Captain! I'm here! Right here! Totally ready to go!" the pink-haired guy answered in a mini-rant.

"Yamamoto Sumāto."

"Present and accounted for!" the guy with the glasses answered, his confidence raised by his positive interaction with the Captain.

"Sydney Taylor."

"Crikey, mate! Got me didgeridoo all warmed up to play some Waltzin' Matilda for ya!" a guy with brown hair and a safari outfit answered in a thick Australian accent.

"Um…ok then." Stryker said, a little thrown off by Sydney's answer, looking back at his clipboard, "And last but not least, Tria Seishin."

"Right here, sir." I replied, somehow managing to sound casual and totally not awkward.

Stryker nodded, looking around at all of us, and announced, "You were all chosen to be here today because of your exceptional performance on your previous tests. But though all of you show great promise, you have plenty to prove if you hope to join the Wardens. First off, we're going to show you the basic skills needed for this job. First, you must become familiar with Bone Buggies, as well as the process of excavation and revival of fossils. The Warden Test is daunting to say the least, but I'm sure you can handle it. For now, head out of this building and past the mechanical dinosaur. There, you'll find the Bone Buggy depot, or what we call the Garage. The instructors will be waiting for you. Good luck to everyone, and let's be cautious out there. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" we responded, filing out onto the elevator.

As we all disembarked the elevator, the blond girl-Penny-exhaled deeply. I turned to look at her.

"Hooo! I was a nervous wreck in there! My hands are still shaking! My knees, too!" She turned to look at me, blushing slightly. "I mean, it's not every day you meet someone as famous as Captain Stryker."

"I know what you mean!" I replied, smiling kindly, "I thought everyone could hear my heart pounding!"

"Are you serious?" Penny asked me, looking surprised, "You seemed so calm!"

"I try." I replied, grinning as I clasped my hands behind my back, "Anyway, I know you heard this during roll, but I'm Tria."

"My name's Penny. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was nervous. Nice to meet you, Tria!" Penny introduced herself, smiling happily, "Hey, wanna walk with me to the Garage?"

"I'd love to!" I said, happy to have made a friend. I make friends easily, though I'm still not completely sure why.

As Penny and I walked toward the Garage, casually chatting about the previous tests and our journeys here, we were met with a VERY excited redhead.

"Hey, girls!" Dahlia called, waving us over.

"Hi there! Dahlia, right?" I greeted her.

"That's right! You here for the driving lessons?" she asked.

"Yep." I replied, feeling the redhead's excitement fuel my own, "I'm Tria, by the way." I then turned to my companion. "And this is Penny."

"Hi." Penny greeted, slightly intimidated by Dahlia's enthusiasm, "Is this the Garage?"

"That's right!" Dahlia answered happily, "Bone Buggies are the BEST!"

"Awesome. Well, I'd better get going." Penny said as an instructor arrived.

"Good luck!" I called after her before turning back to Dahlia, "So I'm gonna jump to the conclusion that you like Bone Buggies?"

"Heck yeah!" she practically screamed, grinning from ear to ear, "They're the main reason I want to be a Warden, actually. It's my dream to cruise around in a Bone Buggy for hours on end, going faster…and faster…and FASTER!"

I laughed, looking at all the different Bone Buggies parked in the Garage. "They are cool, I have to admit." I said, glancing sideways at her, "As long as you don't forget the excavation and revival parts."

"I KNEW you'd understand!" Dahlia yelled, draping an arm over my shoulders. She had clearly only heard the first part of my statement. "I like you already!" She then started rambling about Time Attacks and the customizable parts. When I noticed she was starting to hyperventilate, I grabbed her shoulders, shaking her out of her daze.

"Calm down, Dahlia! Breathe!"

"Sorry." she muttered, laughing nervously, "I'm such a gearhead sometimes…"

"Never would've guessed." I said, smirking at her. She sweatdropped, looking over toward the Garage.

"Oh, look, an instructor! Well, I'm off to my lesson! See ya around!"

"See ya!" I called, waving to her, "Try not to freak out again!" She glared at me in embarrassment. When they left, I looked around for another instructor, only to find that no one was left.

"Guess I'll just have to wait for someone to return." I thought to myself, walking over to sit on the stairs that led down to the Garage.

"Excuse me, but are you one of the new Warden candidates?" a voice asked me. I looked up to see an Asian man wearing a traditional red Chinese outfit.

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry!" I stammered, scrambling out of his way. The man laughed.

"Don't be so nervous. I wasn't scolding you. Have you completed your driving lesson?"

"Not yet." I replied, looking down, "There aren't any instructors left, so I'm waiting for one of the others to finish."

"Well, that's not fair." the man said, "Tell you what, how about I be your instructor?"

I looked up at the man, shocked at the generous offer. "Oh, you don't have to do that! I can be patient."

"I insist." the man replied sternly, "It's not fair for you to get left behind because of the Park's insufficient staff. Come along, now."

"A-All right." I stuttered, still a little overwhelmed by the man's kindness, "My name's Tria."

I'm Liu Ren." Liu Ren replied with a gentle smile, "Now let's get this show on the road."

"Yeah!" I agreed, following Liu Ren to the Bone Buggy given to me, my optimism returning. And so my journey as a Warden begins…


	3. The Mysterious Vivosaur

"Thank you so much, Mr. Liu Ren!" I thanked my instructor for the 100th time.

"It was no trouble." he replied, patting my head, "You're a fast learner. You'll make a fine Warden."

I blushed slightly at the praise. "I'll try my best."

Liu Ren taught me how to drive the Bone Buggy and excavate and revive fossils, as well as how to fight with the revived vivosaurs in Fossil Battles. Apparently, since I already knew how to do most of those things and I picked up on the rest of it pretty easily, I finished before the other candidates. Some of the candidates had trouble getting their vivosaurs to obey them, which Liu Ren told me was the most difficult part for most Wardens to get the hang of. Fortunately, most vivosaurs obey me without question, so battling is no problem for me. I'll never forget the look on Liu Ren's face when I yelled at a Tarbo that was chasing a Proto and it backed off without even attacking.

As I was about to enter the Warden HQ, I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts by screaming.

"Somebody! Anybody! HAAAAAAALP!"

I turned around just in time to be knocked to the ground by a rolling fat kid.

"Ow…" I mumbled, shaking off my daze.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I heard someone cry. I looked up to see the fat kid-Roland-holding out his hand. I took it gratefully.

"I'm pretty much a beach ball with legs." he explained as he helped me up, "So once I start rolling, it's hard for me to stop." He then smiled at me. "I was afraid I was gonna keep rolling forever. Thank you for stopping me."

"Oh, it was nothing." I said, dusting myself off, "You just took me by surprise, that's all."

"Oh good." Roland sighed with relief, "By the way, I'm Roland."

"I'm Tria." I replied, smiling reassuringly, "Nice to meet you."

"Same here." Roland smiled back, "And thanks again!" He then went into the Warden HQ. Seconds later, I heard a crash, followed by yelling. I sweatdropped.

As I entered as well, disregarding the staff running after the rolling Roland, I was approached by a familiar pink-haired fellow.

"Oh, hey! It's Tria!" he called, running up to me. He then looked a bit nervous. "Wait-you ARE Tria, right?"

"That's right." I said, smiling, "You're Nate, right?"

"Yeah!" Nate confirmed, grinning, "I heard you showed up pretty late, too."

"Yep." I nodded. "Just a minute before you."

"Awesome!" Nate cried happily, "That means we're friends! Or allies. Or at least partners or something."

I laughed at his awkwardness, "I think 'friends' sums it up well."

He smiled. "Anyway, I guess you're done with your lessons, huh?"

I nodded. "Yep. They were pretty easy."

"I know, right?" Nate agreed, "By the way, I was about to take a look around the building, if you wanna come with me?"

"Sure, why not?" I replied. I didn't have anywhere else to be.

"Awesome! I found this really interesting room a little while ago that I've been dying to check out. Come on-I'll show you!"

"Lead the way." I said needlessly, following Nate into a room to the right of the front entrance.

Inside, we found mechanical arms holding various drills and hammers. There were also tubes containing various colored liquids, along with switches and dials all over the place.

"Cool!" I muttered, looking around in awe.

"It's great, right? Sure, it's great! I couldn't believe it when I first saw how great this place is! This must be where the Wardens make all their secret weapons and junk!"

"Somehow, I doubt that." I said, looking around at the drills and hammers, "This looks more like a place to develop new tools for excavation and revival."

"That's about right." a young voice said from the doorway. Nate and I both jumped. Busted.

We both turned to see a kid who couldn't have been more than ten years old. He had bright green hair and was wearing a lab coat that fell all the way to the floor.

"Good day, adventurers! My name is Professor Little. I study fossil energy here at Warden HQ. You're Nate and Tria, yes? It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Professor." I said kindly, glad we weren't in trouble. Nate, the King of Awkwardness, was not so polite.

"Wait. You know us?"

"Indubitably! In fact, I follow all of our candidates very closely." Little looked around, smiling fondly at the objects in the room. "Well, now that you're here, I suppose I should tell you about my invention. I've been dying to tell someone the details of how it works!"

"Your invention?" I couldn't stop myself from asking. This kid is younger than I am, and he's already invented something?

"Now then!" he said, walking over to some of the tubes of colored liquid, "This, my new friends, is a compact fossil-energy materialization device. Or, to put it in Layman's terms, a miniature revival machine."

"Wow!" I _was_ impressed by that. This kid is the reason you can revive vivosaurs from Bone Buggies?! That's incredible!

Professor Little nodded. "We have long been able to store vivosaurs inside Dino Gears and carry them around with us. But until recently, a larger machine was always required for the revival process. But no more! Now fossils can be revived from the comfort of your own Bone Buggy! This was a breakthrough in vivosaur technology, and I don't mind telling you it took a while to develop." He then turned back to us. "My eureka moment came when I found a new formula for fossil revival! You see, when k=23n-0.98%..."

Nate and I stood there awkwardly as Professor Little rambled endlessly about scientific stuff neither of us understood. His rambling was suddenly cut off by a phone ringing.

"Oh, shoot. Stryker's calling me. And right when I was about to get to the best part!" he cried in frustration, his brow furrowing in annoyance, "Er, sorry. You'll have to excuse me. Hopefully I can finish the explanation sometime soon!"

"Hopefully so." I agreed, trying to hide the fact that I hadn't understood a word of what the kid had said.

Once Professor Little had left, Nate shuddered and turned to me.

"Yeesh. I thought my head was gonna blow up for a second there. Seriously, I think he just turned my brain into pudding."

"Same here." I agreed, "My head hurts."

"I know! Let's get out of here before he comes back and gives us a test or something."

I nodded and turned to leave when Nate's voice stopped me.

"Hey, hold on." I looked over to see him staring at the desk that held Professor Little's computers. "There's a weird little button on the bottom of this desk."

I came over to look, and sure enough, there was a button hidden under the desk.

"Hm. It must be for one of these machines. It would be best not to-" I began, but Nate interrupted me.

"Should I push it? I'm gonna push it." he said, ignoring my protests as he pressed the button. "I pushed it! Wooooooooooo!"

"What have you done?" I exclaimed. Suddenly, a door that had been previously hidden opened.

"Oh my gosh!" Nate cried, "It's a hidden chamber! Or a secret passage! Or whatever. But it's still AWESOME!" He turned to me, grabbing my wrist. "I bet this is where Professor Boring keeps all his secret laser guns! C'mon! Let's check it out!"

"W-Wait!" I cried, but he still ignored me, dragging me into the previously-hidden room. Inside, we were faced with a strange-looking container with a monitor on each side.

"Hey, uh, Tria? You got any idea what this is?" Nate asked me.

"Not a clue." I replied, "But I do know that, whatever it is, we are not meant to know about it. We should get out of here before…" I trailed off when I noticed that Nate wasn't listening to me, but was instead examining one of the monitors.

"Hm. Let's see…" he hummed thoughtfully, "Nope. Still have no idea what it is. I actually thought just staring at it might help me understand." My eyes then widened in fear as he touched the monitor, causing lights around the room to start flashing. "Huh. Maybe I shouldn't have touched that glowy monitor thing…"

"Ya think?!" I cried, pulling Nate away from the strange container.

When the container opened, it revealed a small vivosaur that resembled a T-rex. He was bright red with a white lower jaw and green stripes on his back, legs, and tail. He had dark blue horns above his eyes that resembled eyebrows and a light-yellow star-like symbol in between his eyes. His eyes were green with light-yellow stars serving as pupils. Thick, sharp teeth protruded from the back of his lower jaw. He looked around at us, a look of confusion on his face, and our eyes locked.

"Grr…" he growled as he scented the air, taking a step toward me.

I stared at the little vivosaur, immediately sensing the deep feelings of anger and…hatred within him. Our eyes remained locked on each other until Nate, who was starting to worry about this situation, butted in.

"Oh man. It's no laser gun at all! It's just some goofy-looking vivosaur!" he said, turning around and patting his butt, "Hey! Hey, vivosaur! Check it out! You're the BUTT of the joke! Hee hee!"

"Nate-!" I started to exclaim, immediately seeing where this was going, but the little vivosaur beat me to the punch-er, bite.

"RAAAARRRRR!" he roared, sounding vaguely like an angry cat, and bit Nate's butt.

"AAAAUUUGGHH! HE JUST BIT MY BUTT!" Nate screamed, falling to the floor, "Call the paramedics! Call the police! Call a lawyer! Call SOMEBODY! Ooooow! Ow ow ow oweee! Please don't eat my butt, Mr. Vivosaur! I need it for sitting in chairs and stuff!"

"RAAAR!" the vivosaur roared again, taking off through the still-open door.

"Oh no…" I muttered, a feeling of dread falling over me, "This is bad…"

"Tria…" Nate whined pitifully, "Tell it to me straight. Is my butt still there?"

I was about to make a smartass comment, but when I heard the sincere terror in his voice, my gaze softened.

"Yeah, it's still there." I assured him, holding out my hand and helping him up.

"Oh my gosh. That's a relief!" he sighed, patting his butt again just to make sure, "But this is no time to be talking about how relieved I am to still have a butt. We have to find that little devil!"

"You were asking for it, you know." I told him.

Nate huffed. "Nevermind that! This is REALLY bad! If people find out about this, we'll be disqualified from becoming Wardens!"

"I know." I growled, "We have to find him and bring him back!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Nate agreed whole-heartedly, and we both ran out of the room, searching frantically for the little red vivosaur.

Running out of the front doors of the Warden HQ, I caught a flash of red from the corner of my eye. I turned toward it in time to see the little vivosaur sneak into the portal leading to the Paradise Beach dig site, where our driving lessons had taken place. Without hesitation, I grabbed Nate's wrist and dragged him into the Garage.

"What is it, Tria? Did you see him? Nate asked me as we climbed into our Bone Buggies.

"Yeah! He ran into Paradise Beach! We have to get him back before he gets hurt!" I replied, driving through the portal.

"Or before HE hurts SOMEONE ELSE!" Nate added as he followed me.

Making our way through the dig site, following the small vivosaurs footprints, we soon came upon the gate that had previously kept us from getting too deep into the dig site. It was completely trashed.

"WOAH!" Nate cried fearfully, "Look what that little devil did to the gate!"

"No…" I mumbled to myself, looking at the trashed fence with rapidly-developing terror, "This isn't his doing…" I quickly drove up to the little vivosaur, trying to figure out how to convince him to get into my Bone Buggy.

"Look, there he is!" Nate called to me, "Let's get out and nab him quick!'

"Wait, Nate!" I called loudly, and, fortunately, he listened to me this time, "We're not alone here!"

"What do you-?" Nate began, before trailing off as a large vivosaur appeared on the cliff above us.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Nate screamed.

"Gorgosaurus…" I growled, "A large carnivorous vivosaur."

The Gorgo looked around, baring its rows of blade-like teeth, before zeroing in on the little vivosaur. The Fire-type carnivore roared, jumping down to face the smaller vivosaur, loaming over him as its tongue ran over its teeth.

"Oh crap…this is bad! This is as bad as bad gets right here!" Nate yelled.

"Run, little guy!" I called to the little vivosaur.

The little vivosaur ignored me, roaring back at his adversary.

"Forget it! He's done for!" Nate cried, putting his Bone Buggy in reverse, "We'd better get out of here before we become the next course!"

"No way!" I replied determinedly, "He needs our help!"

"Are you serious, Tria?!" Nate screamed at me, "What do you think you can do against that thing?!"

I just ignored him, flooring the accelerator on my Bone Buggy and driving it forward, placing it in between the little vivosaur and the Gorgo and causing the Gorgo to jump back.

"TRIA!" Nate shrieked in terror.

"RAAAR!" the little vivosaur growled, confused at my sudden assistance.

"ROOOAAAR!" the Gorgo bellowed, infuriated at my interference.

"Back off!" I roared back at it, making myself as intimidating as I could.

The Gorgo shook its head, caught off guard by the ferocity in my voice. However, his rage won over his hesitation, and he charged at me, jaws agape.

"So be it…" I muttered, disappointed that my intimidation didn't work. Then again, this vivosaur had clearly been abused by its previous owner, so its rage and aggression could not be faulted. I called out the Lophus MN that I had revived earlier, commanding the Water-type vivosaur to attack the larger carnivore.

The herbivore I commanded was a significantly lower rank than the rampaging carnivore, so I had her evade most of the opponent's attacks, then ram him from the side. Whenever she suffered an attack, I fired an LP Recovery Support Shot to help her, and I used the Attack Up Support Shots whenever she attacked so that she could do more damage. Even with these advantages, however, the Gorgo was winning. As Lophus MN started backing down, the Gorgo lunged at her, biting down on her back. I growled in frustration and got out of my Bone Buggy, standing on top of it. Ignoring the protests from Nate and the little vivosaur, I locked eyes with my Lophus MN and gave her my orders.

"Lophus MN, jump!"

The herbivore's fearful gaze hardened into one of determination and she jumped up, taking the Gorgo with her. The Gorgo roared in shock, letting go of Lophus MN as it did so.

"Now…" My voice was steady and firm as I gave Lophus MN her final command, "Bring it down!"

Lophus MN shrieked in rage and brought down her back feet on the Gorgo's chest, driving it into the ground. As Lophus MN jumped back so she stood in front of me, the Gorgo struggled to its feet and, with one last glare at me, took off in the opposite direction.

I sighed with relief, patting Lophus MN's beak before returning her to her Dino Gear. Then I climbed down to the ground, coaxing the little vivosaur into my Bone Buggy, before climbing in with him. Nate drove up to me as I pivoted my Bone Buggy around to face him.

"Are you out of your mind, Tria?!" he screamed at me, "That monster was gonna rip you to shreds!"

"But it didn't." I stated matter-of-factly, "And now it's gone, and we're all safe." I looked at the little vivosaur next to me, who was gazing up at me with a mixture of confusion and admiration.

"For now, at least." another voice interjected. Nate and I both turned our Bone Buggies to face the red Digger's Rig that belonged to Captain Stryker himself. "That Gorgo has been giving us problems for quite a while. It'll be back once it recovers."

"Oh crap…" I thought, gulping audibly, "Now we're really in for it."

"C-Captain Stryker!" Nate exclaimed, voice filling with terror, "This is it, Tria. Stryker's gonna bust us down to grunts! Or maybe something lower than grunts! Either way, we'll be disqualified for sure!"

"I know…" I muttered sadly, bowing my head in shame. The little vivosaur whimpered quietly, nuzzling my hand with his muzzle. I looked at him, stroking his head sadly.

"It's true." Stryker said sternly, "You never should have messed with that machine or let this vivosaur escape." The little vivosaur growled at that comment. "However…" Stryker's voice then softened, "Once the mistake was made, the two of you did everything in your power to right the wrong."

As Nate and I grinned in relief, Stryker turned his Bone Buggy slightly to face mine.

"And, Tria, you in particular showed exceptional bravery and skill. It takes a whole pile of guts to stand up to a ferocious rogue vivosaur like that, and it's absolutely astounding that you even managed to drive it off, despite the large gap between its rank and your vivosaur's."

As I blushed with pride, Stryker turned back to face both of us. "And that's why I won't be disqualifying either of you."

"Woooooo!" Nate cried joyfully, "In your face, punishment!" He then looked at his monitor nervously and corrected himself, "I mean, um…thank you, sir."

"Thank you very much!" I added, trying to communicate all of the gratitude I could.

Stryker nodded. "After you return that vivosaur to Professor Little, come by my office for a meeting. I'm ready to announce the details of your upcoming Warden Test."

"Yeah!" Nate yelled, turning and driving away. I followed him, at a slower pace, glancing at the little vivosaur next to me. He seemed to be sulking. I patted his head, trying to reassure him that I would do everything I could to convince them not to keep him trapped. But for now, I had to become an official Warden, or I wouldn't be able to do anything.


	4. The Warden Test

After returning the little vivosaur Professor Little (which almost required a tranquilizer), Nate and I met with the other candidates in the Captain's office.

"FINALLY!" Dahlia practically whined when we got there, "Where WERE you?"

"Oh, just on a little adventure." I sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"That's an understatement!" Nate interjected, catching everyone's attention, "We discovered a hidden chamber with a little vivo-ow!" He cried out in pain and fell on the floor, clutching the foot I had dug my heel into.

"A little what?" Penny asked innocently.

"Nothing." I assured her, glaring at the pink-haired doofus on the floor.

"Rookies." I heard Leon mutter quietly, although he looked away when I turned to him. Nate must have good ears, however, because he got off the floor and faced the purple-haired punk.

"That's not true!" Nate cried, sounding slightly insulted, "Tria was able to defeat this HUGE rogue vivosaur! Tell them, Tria!"

I looked at the floor as everyone's eyes turned back to me, blushing. I'm not good at handling spotlight. "I didn't defeat it. I just managed to drive it away."

"What kind of vivosaur was it?" Dahlia asked excitedly, eyeing me curiously.

I looked around at the others. They all clearly wanted to know. I sighed as my eyes returned to the floor and muttered quietly, "A Gorgo."

The group looked at each other in confusion, not recognizing the name. Except one.

"WHAT?!" the guy with the glasses, Yamamoto, shrieked, "You faced a Gorgo?! And you survived?!"

The group continued to glance between me and Yamamoto before Roland asked hesitantly, "What's a Gorgo?"

Yamamoto turned to the group, his brown eyes wide as saucers. "A Gorgo is a large, carnivorous, Fire-type vivosaur. They are intelligent and aggressive, and have even been known to hold a grudge."

Everyone's eyes turned back to me, this time in awe. Even Leon looked impressed, which was an accomplishment.

"That's amazing!" Penny exclaimed, running up and hugging me, "I'm glad you're okay!"

"Weren't you scared?" Roland asked me, looking terrified at the mere thought of the vivosaur's description.

"You're INCREDIBLE!" Dahlia declared, patting (slapping) my shoulders.

I noticed Leon smirking at me before he glared at Nate, who was still bugging him.

"That's enough, everyone."

The group got quiet as Captain Stryker entered the room and approached his desk.

"You can all discuss your lessons later. For now, it's time to start the Warden Test." he said, pulling out a box filled with slips of paper.

"In this test, you'll form teams of two and face off against civilian fighters in the Fossil Stadium. If you win twice, you pass. And in that case, I'll be pleased to shake your hand and call you a full-fledged Warden." Everyone muttered in excitement and anxiousness. Stryker held out the box. "We'll start by deciding the teams. Everyone draw a lot."

We all drew a piece of paper, with Stryker noting the teams on a clipboard.

"All right, then. Our teams are…Penny and Dahlia."

The two girls turned to face each other. "Great! Let's do this!" Penny said optimistically.

"As long as you can keep up with me, we'll be just fine!" Dahlia agreed excitedly.

"Nate and Leon."

Nate turned to Leon, ignoring the glare he was receiving. "Nice! We're gonna kick butt! Oh, but don't kick my butt, okay? It's kinda sore from the little vivos-"

"Just stay out of my way." Leon growled, causing Nate to squeak in surprise.

"Yamamoto and Sydney."

"This will be a walk in the park." Yamamoto said confidently.

"Like racin' dingoes 'round the outback!" the Australian agreed (I think?).

"And finally, Tria and Roland."

Roland turned to me. "I was hoping I'd get paired up with you, Tria. After all, if it hadn't been for you, I might've rolled right out of here! Plus, you managed to defeat a vicious rogue vivosaur!"

I sweatdropped. "I guess that's true, huh?" It would be pointless to tell him that he would've just hit the building and stopped there.

"Here's a last piece of advice." Stryker said, calling everyone's attention back to him, "Don't relax just because you're facing civilian fighters. The folks who come to this Fossil Park are known for their prowess in Fossil Battles. They may not be Wardens, but it would be wise not to take them lightly. Get your teams in order, and then enter the competition whenever you're ready."

Stryker then dramatically held out his hand, proclaiming, "As long as you and your allies support each other, you'll have nothing to fear! Now get out there and fight!"

"Yeah!" the group chorused back, and we all left. While exiting the elevator, I heard Leon muttering to himself.

"This test is a joke." he grumbled, crossing his arms, "What's the point in teaming up in a fight? There's only one person you can trust in a Fossil Battle, and that's yourself!"

"I don't know about that." I interjected, walking over to him, "Sure, everyone makes mistakes, and those mistakes can bring the team down, but teammates can also pull you out of a jam when you need it most."

"Pfft. You're soft as the rest of 'em." he snarled at me, "What would you know?"

I crossed my arms, mirroring the taller male, "I know that, if I'd had some help in my fight with the Gorgo, I may have actually been able to defeat it instead of letting it escape."

"Hmph." Leon huffed, turning away from me, "Like I need to be lectured by some rookie who happened to get lucky a few times. And don't bother trying to be my friend, 'cause I'm not interested."

"The feeling's mutual." I barked back at him. He just ignored me. I walked past the receptionist, still fuming, when I heard a familiar cry.

"AHHH! SOMEBODY, STOP ME!"

I turned to see Roland rolling towards me again. Reacting faster than last time, I held up my foot, catching him before he could knock me over.

"Oh, Tria! Thank goodness! I was trying to catch up to you when I tripped on something."

"Uh…Roland…your shoes are untied." I pointed out, trying not to laugh.

Roland turned bright red. "Oh yeah! I can't ever see my feet, so I never notice when they get untied."

Once he tied his shoes, he looked back to me. "Anyway, I've got an idea, Tria. What if we visited Paradise Beach one more time before going to the Fossil Stadium?"

I looked at him, shocked. "Are you sure? You know the Gorgo is still there, right?"

Roland shook his head. "You drove it off, remember? And if it does come back, you can just drive it off again!"

"Ok…" I replied, still a little unsure.

"Come on!" Roland urged, "We can get our teams stronger so we can do well in the Warden Test! Or, at least, so I can keep up with you."

"All right." I finally relented, "But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Awesome!" Roland cheered, "Ok, it's a plan! Let's go!" He then took off toward the Garage. I followed close behind, making sure he didn't trip and fall again.

We drove around Paradise Beach, digging up fossils of new vivosaurs and battling rogues to strengthen our own. We even ran into a few of the other teams and had friendly sparring sessions with them.

"Hey, come on, Tria! Let's check out this area! I haven't been here before!" I heard Roland call me through the radios of our Bone Buggies. I drove over to where he was, only to see him driving into the clearing where I had fought the Gorgo.

"Roland…" I said slowly, "I don't think we should be here…"

"Why not?" Roland asked me, "There are fossils here! Maybe we'll find some new vivosaurs!"

I was about to respond when I noticed something.

"Watch out!" I called out as a large rock fell right in front of Roland's Bone Buggy.

"Woah! That was close!" he cried, backing away from the rock, "That rock could've crushed us!"

"That's weird…" I muttered, looking at the rock, "There weren't any rocks on the cliff before…" I looked up in time to see two more rocks tumbling directly toward Roland's Bone Buggy.

"Roland! LOOK OUT!" I yelled, driving forward and ramming his Bone Buggy out of the way. I then pressed my body to my Bone Buggy's floor as the rocks fell on it.

"TRIA!" I heard Roland scream.

Luckily, because of how sturdy the Bone Buggies are (especially the ones they give to newbies), it wasn't completely destroyed, but the roof had collapsed and kept me pinned to the floor. The edge of the roof had also slashed my left arm, which was now bleeding badly.

"TRIA! ARE YOU OK?!" Roland called to me.

"Peachy…" I replied, hissing in pain as the movement caused the broken roof to cut deeper into my arm.

"Hang on! I'll come get you!" I heard my companion say, followed by the sound of an engine revving, "Aw, come on! My Bone Buggy's busted!"

I cursed silently, "Crap! I must have damaged it when I pushed him out of the way! At least he's not hurt."

"Hang on, Tria! I'll get to you on foot!" Roland called to me.

My eyes widened and I lifted my head, ignoring the burning agony in my arm to yell, "Don't even think about it!"

"Why?" Roland asked, but then I heard him scream and I knew his question had been answered, "What the heck is that?!" That outburst was followed by a roar that I recognized instantly.

"The Gorgo…" I said loudly enough that Roland could hear me through the radio, "They have been known to hold a grudge. It's come to take revenge on me for attacking it earlier." Pain was starting to color my voice.

"This is bad! This is really bad!" Roland was starting to panic, "I'm calling Captain Stryker!"

"You do that…" I muttered, clenching my teeth to keep from screaming as the now-furious Gorgo pushed my Bone Buggy, tearing off the front so that I could see out. As it glared at me, yellow eyes burning with rage, I closed my eyes, beginning to lose consciousness from blood loss. That's when I heard another familiar growl.

My eyes shot open as the Gorgo roared in pain, turning around to look at the little red vivosaur that had bitten down on its leg. The little vivosaur jumped in front of my Bone Buggy, growling protectively.

"What are you doing here, little guy? Get out of here!" I called out to him, but he didn't listen. Instead, he began to glow.

"What the-?" I muttered, vaguely registering Roland's call to Stryker as the little vivosaur grew to about half the size of the Gorgo. His elongated tail had a pair of spines on either side of the tip. He roared, charging at the Gorgo.

"RAAAWWR!" The Gorgo charged as well, jaws agape.

The Gorgo lunged at the not-so-little vivosaur, who jumped out of the way, bringing his hind legs down on the Gorgo's flank and driving it back. He then lunged at the Gorgo, biting into its chest. The Gorgo slammed its muzzle into its opponent's side, causing the bright red vivosaur to let go and jump back again. The red vivosaur roared in fury and leapt forward, snapping at it rapidly, dealing large amounts of damage before it could react. The Gorgo, realizing it was outmatched, took off, fleeing further into the dig site. The red vivosaur bellowed victoriously before shrinking and running over to my Bone Buggy.

"Holy wow!" Roland exclaimed excitedly, "Did you see him transform?"

"Yeah. Thanks buddy." I tried to sound grateful, because I was, but my voice came out as a pained gasp.

"Grah…" the little vivosaur growled worriedly, climbing onto my broken Bone Buggy and trying to lift the collapsed roof off of me.

"Hold on, Tria!" Roland called to me through the radio, "Captain Stryker and Mr. Liu Ren are on their way! They'll get you out of there!"

"Oh, good." I mumbled, "It's starting to get cramped in here."

The little vivosaur whined, straining to lift the collapsed roof. He then snorted and jumped down, transforming again into the large carnivore that had battled the Gorgo. As he lowered his head to my level, the Captain's Digger's Rig appeared, followed by a large mobile Bone Buggy repair car.

"Hang on, Tria!" Stryker called, driving as fast as he could toward the red vivosaur. The vivosaur turned to face Stryker, growling dangerously.

"Hold it, Stryker!" I commanded sternly, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"What do you think you're doing, Tria?!" Roland exclaimed disbelievingly, "You can't speak like that to the Captain! You're not even a Warden yet!"

"Just…trust me, okay?" I pleaded, not just with Roland, but with the two senior Wardens as well. I then locked eyes with the red vivosaur, who was looking at me with concern. "Please…continue…" I was starting to have trouble staying awake again, now that the adrenaline of battle was literally flowing out of my body.

The red vivosaur, realizing how much danger I was in, lowered his head again and, as gently as he could, grabbed the collapsed roof and lifted it off of the Bone Buggy, tossing it away once it had cleared my body. He then gingerly picked me up in his jaws and brought me over to the mobile repair car, where Liu Ren was waiting with Roland. Stryker soon joined us as the red vivosaur put me down and shrank again.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Tria?" Roland cried. He was bawling. "I'm so sorry you got hurt! If I had just seen those rocks…"

"Relax, Roland." I said, smiling, although I cringed when Liu Ren put disinfectant on the gash on my arm, "It wasn't your fault. Those things were right above you; you couldn't possibly have seen them."

"Yeah, but still…" he whimpered, tears streaming down his face.

"You should consider yourself lucky." Liu Ren told me, "Other than this gash on your arm, your injuries are minor. You'll make a full recovery; you just need a few days of rest." The little vivosaur nuzzled my uninjured arm.

"Hm." Stryker hummed thoughtfully, looking in the direction the Gorgo had run, "We're going to have to do something about that Gorgo. It's starting to get out of hand."

"Can't you handle it, Captain?" Roland asked nervously. Stryker sighed.

"Not right now. I have to oversee the Warden Test. The other candidates are getting impatient."

"As do I." Liu Ren said, clearly anxious about the Gorgo, "But we can't just let this chance go. It's been severely weakened already…"

"I know…" Stryker groaned, pressing his temples, "What are we going to do?"

"Send us."

Everyone turned to look at me. I had managed to get to my feet, albeit unsteadily.

"Fix our Bone Buggies, and Roland and I will chase it down and finish it off."

"Out of the question!" Stryker replied sternly.

"You're in no condition to give chase!" Liu Ren added, grabbing my shoulders to steady me.

"You need to rest!" Roland cried, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Grrr!" the little vivosaur growled at me.

"I don't think you understand." I stated, standing up straight, "That Gorgo was targeting me specifically. It's still mad at me for protecting this little guy. And as long as it sees me as weaker than it, it will continue to come after me."

"What are you saying?" Stryker asked me.

I looked over at my teammate. "Roland uses a Tricera, a Water-type vivosaur, which is strong against the Fire-type Gorgo. My Lophus MN, which I used to drive off the Gorgo earlier, has experience fighting it. With Roland's help, we could take it out once and for all. And if the Gorgo falls by my hands, even with an ally's help, then it will give up on its vengeance and settle down."

Stryker glared at the ground. He knew what I said was the truth. "Liu Ren…fix their Bone Buggies."

"Yes, sir." Liu Ren answered, quickly fixing our damaged Bone Buggies.

"Unfortunately, I can't let him stay with you." Stryker said to me, gesturing to the little vivosaur, "We still don't know what he's capable of, and you can't handle him in your condition."

"RAAR!" the vivosaur protested, snapping at Stryker. I placed my hand on his head.

"It's okay, little guy. If you're good, they'll let you stay awake. Show them how good you can be." I told him, smiling kindly. He growled quietly, grudgingly relenting to my argument.

"By the way…" Stryker muttered to me, his voice becoming quiet, "How did you know why the Gorgo is behaving the way it is?"

I looked at the Captain, analyzing the curious look on his face, before replying, "I just know."

Stryker was about to respond, but Liu Ren approached us.

"The Bone Buggies are fully operational." he reported, glancing at me before looking to Stryker, "We need to get going, Captain. The candidates and the fighters can't wait much longer, and the audience is getting restless."

"All right." Stryker replied, "Tria, Roland, the rest is up to you. But please…" He looked pointedly at me. "Be careful."

"Yes, sir!" we both answered, climbing into our Bone Buggies and following after the Gorgo.

"Um…Tria?" Roland asked after a minute.

"Hm?" I acknowledged.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked worriedly. I chuckled quietly.

"For now, anyway, but we'll need to do this quickly. I lost quite a bit of blood from the gash on my arm." I looked at the monitor. Roland looked like he was about to be sick. "Sorry…" I apologized.

"It's…okay…urp!" he gagged, holding a hand to his mouth, "Let's just get this over with."

"Agreed." I said, driving through the gate at the end of a narrow canyon. On the other side, we found the Gorgo.

"Wow…" Roland muttered as he and I stopped behind the vivosaur, "I almost feel sorry for it."

"So do I." I agreed. The large vivosaur was sitting in a slumped position, its head pointed downward with its muzzle on the ground.

"Do you really think it's okay to attack it?" Roland asked me, "I mean, it looks so weak."

"Don't let your guard down!" I responded, "It's faking it!"

Roland opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when the Gorgo suddenly growled and jumped up, facing us.

"Ah!" Roland screamed, "It hasn't been weakened at all!"

"Yes, it has!" I assured my partner, "It's putting on an aggressive front, since its weak act failed! Release Tricera!"

Roland obeyed, sending out the large horned vivosaur. The aggressive herbivore roared at his opponent, his confidence making up for Roland's nervousness. I sent out Lophus MN, who proceeded to whistle challengingly at the familiar adversary.

The Gorgo roared, charging at Lophus MN, due to her weaker appearance. Lophus MN, however, had seen enough of that move, and side-stepped the carnivore, slamming into it with her side. Tricera, taking advantage of the Gorgo's weaker stance, charged, sending the Fire-type vivosaur flying. As the Gorgo landed against the ground, it tried to run, but Lophus MN and Tricera were having none of it. At their fighters' commands, with the help of their fighters' Support Shots, the two Water-type herbivores lunged forward, slamming the carnivore into the wall behind it. The Gorgo, unable to withstand the double assault, shined brightly before turning back into a Dino Gear.

I got out of my Bone Buggy and retrieved the Dino Gear, looking at it with sympathy and understanding. It had been abused, and therefore didn't trust anyone. I returned to my Bone Buggy under the watchful eyes of the two vivosaurs above me. With the Gorgo subdued and our vivosaurs returned to their own Dino Gears, Roland and I returned to the Fossil Park, with me passing out the moment my Bone Buggy was parked.


	5. A New Partner

As I regained consciousness, the first thing I was aware of was a bright light shining behind my eyelids. There were also voices muttering about something nearby, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. As my senses returned, I tried to remember how I got to wherever I was.

"Let's see…Roland and I chased after Gorgo…we defeated it…I retrieved its Dino Gear…we drove back to the Fossil Park…and then here I am. I can't remember anything that happened after we got back. Did I pass out or something? My arm hurts…right, the gash…must have fainted from blood loss…what ARE these people saying?" I thought. With my hearing mostly back, I tuned into their conversation.

"…rest for a few days at least." one voice said. It was male, and sounded wise beyond its years. Mr. Liu Ren.

"I'm surprised her injuries aren't more serious." another voice said in response. It held authority and seemed used to giving orders. Captain Stryker.

"I just hope she wakes up soon. That vivosaur is getting restless. He refuses to sleep, and he's more hostile than usual." a much younger voice piped up, sounding worried. And that's Professor Little.

"The other Wardens are also very worried. I can't give them their assignments when their minds are focused on their comrade's well-being." Stryker said, and I could picture him pressing his fingers to his temples in frustration.

"It's not just the new Wardens." Professor Little added, "The other two are worried as well, the ones who didn't pass the Warden Test."

"The Warden Test…oh shit! The Warden Test!" I thought as my eyes shot open, only for me to cover them and groan in pain as they were blinded by the bright lights on the ceiling.

"Well, looks like she's finally coming to." I heard Stryker comment, and I sensed them crowding around me, "Liu Ren, dim the lights."

I heard Liu Ren's affirmation, and seconds later the light behind my eyes dimmed. Slowly, I tried to open my eyes again. I looked up at the two adults standing over me, then at the kid who was at my eye level.

"How are you feeling?" Stryker asked me, a look of concern on his face. The look was mirrored by the other two.

"Tired." I rasped, my voice hoarse, "And sore." I looked at my left arm, which was covered in bandages.

"That's to be expected." Liu Ren told me, "You took some damage from the Gorgo's attack, and you used up what energy you had left capturing it. You're lucky to have gotten off as lightly as you did."

"But don't worry." Little added with his little-boy optimism, "After a few days' rest, you'll be up and about like nothing happened. Except maybe a little scarring…" He added that last part quickly.

"B-But the Warden Test…" I protested, "I still haven't taken it! And what about Roland? Is he supposed to wait, too?"

Stryker, Little, and Liu Ren looked at each other before laughing.

"The Warden Test?" Stryker asked incredulously, "You chase down and capture a ferocious rogue vivosaur after repelling it once, in your condition, and you're concerned about an official test?" Stryker smiled at me. "As far as I'm concerned, Tria, you're already a Warden." He then handed me a silver card with my name and picture on it. "We've even made your license already."

I looked at the license in my hand, tears of joy in my eyes. I then looked up at them, frowning.

"But…what about Roland?"

"He showed exceptional bravery and level-headedness in a crisis. He has also proven himself to be Warden material." Stryker replied. I sighed with relief, setting my license on the table next to me.

"But then, who were the two that didn't pass?" I asked.

"Yamamoto and Sydney." Stryker replied, "They couldn't win the second round of battles in the official test."

"Oh…" I muttered, looking down at my hands.

"Yamamoto is now working with me as my assistant." Professor Little told me, "It seems to suit him much better than Fossil Battles."

"And Sydney?"

"He decided to return to Australia and rethink things." Stryker replied.

"I see." I sighed, resting my head on my pillow, "Do you think you could help me sit up?"

At my request, Liu Ren picked up a remote and pressed a button, causing the back of my bed to lift until I was in a sitting position. I smiled and thanked him, leaning back as my head pounded from lying down for too long.

"By the way, how is the little vivosaur doing?" I asked, looking primarily at Professor Little.

"Ah, yes. We had a feeling you'd be asking about him." Stryker said, nodding at Professor Little, "Go get him, Professor."

"Certainly." Little agreed, sounding relieved. The little vivosaur must have been giving him a lot of trouble. Which reminded me.

"Captain." I said, looking around the hospital room, "How long have I been out?"

"Only for a few hours." Stryker replied, stepping to the side to show me the window. It was sunset. "To be honest, we weren't expecting you to wake up until tomorrow. You never cease to exceed expectations."

"Thank you, Captain." I said tiredly, leaning back and closing my eyes, "It's what I do best."

Stryker and Liu Ren laughed at my comment. "As a Warden, that's probably a good thing." Stryker said. We all turned toward the door as a familiar growl was heard from behind it.

"Is there no reasoning with this creature? Cease this foolishness at once!" we heard Professor Little yell in exasperation as the little vivosaur barged into the room, jumping onto my bed (not on me) and nuzzling me excitedly.

"Raar!" he cried happily.

"Hey there, little guy." I greeted him, stroking his head to calm him.

"He's been waiting anxiously for you to wake up." Professor Little told me, sighing and rubbing his temples, "He's been getting very difficult to handle."

"He seems to be calmer now, though." Liu Ren commented, observing the little vivosaur curl up next to me and rest his head on my lap.

"Hm." Stryker hummed thoughtfully, looking between me and the little vivosaur, "Tria…I have a special request for you. Do you think you're up for it?"

"Sure." I said, sitting up straighter, "What is it?"

"I would like you to work with that little vivosaur." he told me. My eyes widened and I looked down at the vivosaur in question, who lifted his head in interest. "I want you to help him experience the world firsthand. I know this is a lot to ask, but you may be the only one who can pull it off. Can I count on you?"

I looked back at the little vivosaur. He was looking up at me, his eyes wide and pleading. I smiled at him and patted his head before turning to Stryker once more with a look of determination.

"Of course, Captain. I won't let you down."

Stryker smiled in appreciation. "Excellent. I knew I could count on you."

"Aroooo!" the vivosaur howled happily. I looked at him, placing a finger on my chin.

"Hm…your look's not quite right…" I muttered, tilting my head.

"Grr?" the vivosaur growled questioningly. My eyes lit up in realization.

"Captain." I said, gaining his attention, "Where did the doctors put my clothes?"

"Over there." Stryker replied, pointing to a table against the wall, "Why?"

"Can you bring me my yellow bandana?" I asked. When he brought it to me, I tied it around the little vivosaur's neck. I then leaned back and admired my handiwork as the little vivosaur grabbed it with his claws.

"Grr? Grrr-ooooo!" he cried happily, licking my face in delight.

"He seems to have taken a liking to that bandana of yours." Stryker commented in amusement.

"Are you ready to give this little guy a name?" Professor Little asked me, "He does need a name."

The little vivosaur turned to the child professor and snapped at him, growling in irritation. That's when the thought came to me.

"Nibbles." I said, gaining everyone's attention, "I think I'll call you Nibbles."

"Nibbles…" Stryker hummed again, smiling in amusement, "Heh. I like it."

"It fits like a covalent bond between two compatible atoms!" Little cried happily.

"Grruh?" Nibbles growled in confusion.

"Yeah, I don't understand either." I agreed with him.

"By the way, Tria." Liu Ren addressed me, "Do you feel up for having visitors? The others are very worried about you."

"Sure." I replied, shifting into a more comfortable position. Nibbles growled apprehensively, jumping off of the bed and running to the far end of the room. I sighed.

"Tria!" several voices cried as five bodies came rushing into the room and crowded around my bed, bombarding me with questions.

"Are you okay?"

"How are you feeling?"

"You're alive! Thank goodness!"

"We were so worried about you!"

"One at a time, please." Liu Ren ordered calmly, noticing how overwhelmed I was. Everyone backed off, though they remained close by.

"How are you feeling, Tria?" Penny asked first, her eyes clouded with tears.

"A little tired, but I'll be fine." I told them, knowing that she was speaking for everyone, "After a little bit of rest, I'll be good as new."

"Thank goodness." she sighed with relief.

"You are amazing, Tria!" Dahlia cried, her eyes sparkling with admiration that hid her concern, "You took on a vicious vivosaur twice, while injured, and still won! That's incredible!"

"Thanks, Dahlia." I said, smiling. Her energy and optimism were infectious. I then noticed that Roland was unusually quiet.

"Are you all right, Roland?" I asked him, placing my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Tria!" he sobbed, falling to his knees and burying his face into the sheets of my bed, "It's all my fault! If I had been able to avoid those rocks! If I hadn't insisted we go search that part of the dig site! This never would've happened!"

"Here we go again…" I heard Dahlia mutter, implying that this wasn't the first breakdown Roland had had.

"Roland." I said, my voice gentle, yet stern, "I've already told you it wasn't your fault. Those rocks couldn't have been seen from where you were, and I chose to push you out of the way. I knew what would happen. Besides, if we hadn't faced the Gorgo then, it would have just come after me later. It wouldn't have settled down until I had defeated it, and I'd rather do that earlier than later."

"Gorgos hold grudges." Yamamoto agreed with me, "Tria's right. It was probably better that it was stopped before it could hurt anyone else."

"Besides." I added, looking at Yamamoto apologetically, "We made it into the Wardens, didn't we?"

Hearing this, Roland perked up. "That's right! We didn't even have to take the Warden Test! So I guess it wasn't all bad, huh?"

"Speaking of which." I said, looking at Yamamoto, "My condolences that you didn't pass, Yamamoto."

"Oh, don't worry about it." he brushed it off, not seeming too disappointed, "Fossil Battles never suited me. I'm working as Professor Little's assistant now."

"Congratulations." I said to him.

"Hey, Tria." Nate said, and I looked at him, "We saw Professor Boring Guy come in here with that little vivosaur we found earlier."

"Yeah, I know." I replied, "He's right over there." I jerked my thumb in Nibbles' direction. "Also, his name is Nibbles. He's my new partner."

"Awww! He's so cute!" Penny squealed, running over to him, "I'm so jealous!"

"Stay back!" Nate yelled, "He's deadly! That ferocious beast tried to bite off my poor butt!"

"Because you waved it in front of him." I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, right. He's way too cute for that! Aren't you?" Penny dismissed Nate, leaning down to pet Nibbles, only to jump back when he snapped at her.

"Careful!" I scolded her, "Nate may have been asking to get his butt bitten, but Nibbles really doesn't like people! Approaching him right now is not a good idea."

"Oh. Okay." Penny said sadly. Nibbles growled again, running over to my bed and jumping onto my lap, burying his head in my stomach. Everyone jumped back.

"Tria!" Nate exclaimed, fearing for my safety.

"Relax." I told everyone, "Nibbles actually likes me, for some reason, so he won't hurt me. I'm going to help him experience the world, so that someday he can get over his hatred of humans."

"…That sounds like a lot of responsibility." Roland muttered as he looked at the little vivosaur nervously, remembering how he had transformed before. He then smiled. "But if anyone's up to the task, it's you, Tria!"

"Thanks, Roland!" I said.

"I love the name Nibbles." Penny added, likely in an attempt to make peace with the little vivosaur, "It's perfect!"

"Everyone." Stryker interrupted, "We need to let Tria rest, and I need to give you guys room assignments."

"All right." Nate said as everyone said good-bye and filed out, "See ya later. And watch your butt, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Nate." I said, laughing. Their visit really had made me feel better.

"I'll bring you your dinner later, Tria." Liu Ren said on his way out, "Until then, try to get some rest."

"Will do." I said, saluting the man as he left. I looked at Nibbles, who was starting to relax a little bit. "Just you and me now, buddy."

Nibbles purred happily, then tensed and turned toward the door, growling dangerously.

"Ah yes. It would seem we're not alone. One more person hasn't had a chance to visit." I looked at the door. "Aren't you going to come in, Leon?"

"Hmph." the purple-haired male huffed, "I didn't come here because I was worried about you." He stepped into the room, glaring at the little growling vivosaur. "I simply wanted to see if you really were stupid enough to take on a Gorgo while injured. I thought even you wouldn't be that stupid." He laughed quietly. "Rookie."

"Graaaah!" Nibbles snarled, jumping off the bed and snapping at Leon, who pressed himself against the wall.

"Settle down, Nibbles." I said calmly, turning my attention back to Leon once my new partner had returned to my side, "Well, thank you for your visit, Leon. It is most appreciated." I smiled at him, causing him to look away and huff again.

"I told you, I'm not here because I'm worried, nor do I want to be your friend. I'm just here to satisfy my own curiosity." And with that, he left, shutting the door loudly behind him.

"Grr." Nibbles growled, irritated at Leon's behavior.

"Calm down, Nibbles." I told him, placing a hand on his head, "That's just his way of hiding how he really feels. He really was worried; he just doesn't want to admit it."

Nibbles just snorted, curling up against my side again.

" _Your patience is wasted on his kind._ " he said, his green eyes glaring at the door, " _Not just him. They're all evil. They are incapable of thinking of anything other than themselves._ "

"That's not necessarily true." I replied to the little vivosaur, "I'll admit, some humans are selfish, but there are others that are kind and compassionate, who devote their lives to helping others. After all, I saved you, didn't I?"

" _That's different. You're not-_ " he started to reply, almost sounding insulted.

"That's irrelevant." I interrupted sternly, "Just…give humans a chance, all right? Most of them are not as bad as you think. If not for you, then do it for me, please?"

Nibbles stared into my eyes, looking conflicted, before sighing. " _I'll…try._ "

"Thanks, buddy." I smiled, gently hugging the little vivosaur to my chest, "That's all I ask."

Nibbles purred, snuggling against me as I lay myself back down, closing my eyes as I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.

"A few days before I'm moving about again, huh? That means I'll be mostly back to normal by mid-morning tomorrow. Hopefully, I can pass it off as a miracle, or maybe they'll think Nibbles has some sort of healing ability. Mostly, I should try not to get hurt as often. If this keeps up, I'll be found out for sure."

These were my last thoughts as I slipped into unconsciousness.


	6. First Mission: Journey to America

As I had predicted, by mid-morning the next day, I was moving around freely with little trouble. I still had to be careful with my left arm, but it wasn't enough to stop me from driving, excavating, reviving, and doing all the things Wardens do. I was right in that they thought Nibbles had something to do with my miraculously-fast recovery, but the need to give assignments to the new Wardens overshadowed Professor Little's desire to investigate the matter, which worked out well for me.

"All right." Captain Stryker said to the group of six new Wardens: me, Penny, Roland, Nate, Dahlia, and Leon, "Now that Tria has recovered from the Gorgo's attack, it is time for all of you to be given your assignments as Wardens."

"It's about time." Leon muttered irritably, earning a growl from Nibbles and scolding glares from several of the others in the room. I just ignored him, as did Captain Stryker.

"Leon, you will be assigned to Fossil Park America." Stryker told him.

"America, huh? Perfect." Leon replied, pleased to be getting away from this group. That may not be a bad idea, considering how much of a lone wolf he is.

Stryker then turned to Dahlia. "Dahlia, you will be assigned to Fossil Park Europe."

"As long as they have Bone Buggies and no speed limits, I'm totally ready to go!" she replied excitedly. So typical of her.

"Veteran Wardens are waiting in your respective branches. Report to your new posts at once." Stryker ordered them, "Just head to the lobby and look for the World Gate next to the elevator. That'll allow you to warp to the branch of your choosing."

"Got it." Leon nodded in affirmation, quickly heading for the elevator.

"See ya around, guys!" Dahlia addressed the group, before addressing me directly, "Keep up the good work, Tria. Just try not to get hurt again, okay?"

"I make no promises." I admitted, before adding, "But I'll try." Dahlia smiled, apparently accepting my answer, and followed after Leon.

"Penny, Nate, and Roland, you three will remain here at Warden HQ." Stryker said to the rest of the group.

"We'll do our best." Roland said, having regained his enthusiasm.

"And as for you, Tria…" Stryker said, looking at me, "You'll be working for me. I'm going to be sending you to various hot spots all over the world."

"Yes, sir." I said in affirmation.

"Wow, Tria! Talk about sweet gigs!" Nate congratulated me.

"I'm rooting for you, Tria!" Penny added.

"Thanks, guys!" I turned to them, smiling happily. Stryker called our attention back to him.

"By the way, do you guys know about Paleo Pals?"

"Yeah." I said, and everyone turned to me, "It's when you become so close to certain people that you can form teams with them. In those teams, you can work together to excavate fossils and have Fossil Battles."

"Very good, Tria." Stryker praised me.

"How'd you know that, Tria?" Nate asked me.

"Mr. Liu Ren explained it to me while I was resting in the hospital." I replied, earning a chorus of 'oh's from the others.

"Impressive." Stryker said, smiling, "As Tria said, Paleo Pals can battle and excavate together, which can be very helpful. None of you have Paleo Pals yet, so why don't you start by registering each other?"

We turned to each other.

"I am seriously into this plan!" Nate yelled joyfully.

"Me too!" Penny agreed.

"We'll be an unstoppable team!" Roland declared.

"Yeah!" I said as we registered each other as Paleo Pals.

Stryker clapped his hands. "All right, that's enough chatter. It's time to start working on your assignments."

We all nodded and my friends headed toward the elevator. They all stopped when I didn't move.

"Captain." I said, "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Certainly." Stryker complied, "You three go on ahead."

The group looked at each other, then back at me before shrugging and getting into the elevator.

"What is it, Tria?" Stryker asked once they had left.

"What did you do with the Gorgo I captured?" I asked him, ignoring the growl emanating from Nibbles' throat.

Stryker gave me a confused look. "Stored in Professor Little's lab. Why do you ask?"

"I want to add it to my team." I stated confidently.

"What?!" Stryker almost yelled, "That vivosaur nearly killed you, and you want to keep it with you?!"

"That vivosaur was abused by its previous owner. That's the reason for its aggressive behavior. You trust me to take care of Nibbles, but you don't think I can handle the Gorgo?" I told him, patting Nibbles' head. I had spoken to him about this last night, and although he wasn't fond of the idea, conceded my argument when I reminded him that he had driven off the Gorgo before and could do it again if he needed to.

Stryker sighed. "That's not it… It's just…unexpected." After another look at my determined expression, he relented. "Very well. I'll call Professor Little." He then picked up the phone, relaying my request to the child prodigy. I heard incredulous yelling on the other side, something about me being out of my mind, and then a sigh and a click that signaled the phone conversation was over.

"He's on his way." Stryker informed me.

"Thank you." I said, grinning with amusement.

A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened to reveal Professor Little, looking more than slightly nervous about the Dino Gear in his hands.

"Here you go, Tria." he said, wasting no time in handing me the ferocious vivosaur's dormant form, "I cannot possibly imagine why you'd want it, but it's all yours."

"Thank you, Professor." I said to him, looking at the Dino Gear. I could feel the resentment and distrust radiating from it, along with the unmistakable emotion of fear. "This Gorgo has been treated very badly in the past. I'm hoping to ease the feeling of mistrust in humans, as well as the resentment of other vivosaurs, that has developed within him."

Professor Little shook his head, returning to his lab.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I can't help but admire the thought. Your devotion to vivosaurs is nothing short of saint-like. I have no doubts that you'll serve well with the Wardens." Stryker told me, "Which reminds me. Your first assignment is to head to America and introduce yourself to the Wardens there. Since I'll be sending you to different Fossil Parks, it would be wise for you to get to know them. Head through the World Gate next to the elevator. Dismissed!"

"Yes sir!" I saluted, heading down in the elevator with Nibbles.

" _I'm still not comfortable with him._ " he said, glaring at Gorgo's Dino Gear.

"I don't expect you to be. He's not comfortable with us, either." I replied, looking at the Dino Gear in my hand, "But I'm determined to change that. No one's inherently bad."

" _Speaking of bad, isn't the purple one stationed in America?_ " Nibbles asked with a growl.

"Leon? Yeah, he is. I wonder if we'll see him." I wondered out loud.

" _Let's hope not._ " Nibbles snorted.

"Nibbles. Be nice." I scolded him as the doors opened. My new Paleo Pals were standing in the lobby, chatting. When Nate spotted me, he waved me over.

"Hey, Tria!" he said when I approached, "We saw Professor Boring Guy head upstairs carrying a Dino Gear. He looked upset."

"Yeah, I know. I had Captain Stryker call him and ask him to bring me this Dino Gear." I told them, holding out Gorgo's Dino Gear. At the sight of it, Nate and Roland freaked out and jumped back several feet.

"I-I-Is th-th-that…?!" Roland stuttered in absolute terror. Nate was hiding behind the heftier male, his body trembling violently.

"What is it?" Penny asked innocently, "What's wrong, guys?" Nate and Roland looked at each other, not entirely willing to answer, so I did it for them.

"It's the Dino Gear for the Gorgo that Roland and I captured." I informed her, "I asked Professor Little to bring it to me so I could add it to my team." I was expecting them to react badly, so I didn't even flinch when they all went wide-eyed at the information I had given them.

"G-Gorgo?" Penny, who was starting to get scared, stuttered, "You mean…the one that…?"

"Yes." I answered, knowing her question, "The same one that attacked and injured me."

"Are you insane, Tria?!" Nate screamed, "You're already taking care of the can-chomper, and now you're gonna try to train the vivosaur that almost killed you?!"

Nibble growled at the nickname 'can-chomper' while I simply nodded.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tria?" Roland asked me, "I mean, it did try to kill you, twice!"

"This Gorgo was abused, and has since lost its trust in humans, as well as other vivosaurs. I'm hoping to change that." I told them. They looked about to argue, but the phones that had been given to all the Wardens started ringing, cutting off their protests.

"Oh, crap! They're calling us!" Nate exclaimed, clearly NOT wanting this conversation to end yet.

"Well, you'd best not keep them waiting. It wouldn't look good if you show up late for your first assignment." I urged them, smiling. When they looked at me with concern, I put my arms around them in a group hug. "Don't worry, guys. I'll be careful, I promise."

"…All right." Penny said as the other two relented, "What is your first assignment?"

"I'm to go to America and introduce myself to the Wardens there." I replied, heading for the World Gate, which Yamamoto showed me how to use earlier that morning.

"Oh, cool." Roland said, sounding disappointed that I wasn't joining them.

"Say hi to Leon for us!" Penny called.

"And watch your butt!" Nate added.

"Will do!" I called back, waving at them and ignoring Nibbles' growl at the mention of Leon. As I stepped into the World Gate, the little vivosaur at my side, we were consumed by a bright light. When the light faded and the doors opened, I stepped back out into a different Fossil Center.

The overall look of the building's interior was similar to the Warden HQ, but the floors and walls were darker, although not in an ominous way. I was looking around, trying to figure out where I was supposed to go, when I heard someone call out to me.

"You must be Tria!" I turned to see a woman with sandy blond hair approach me. She looked to be a few years older than I was, and she was wearing a denim jacket and short denim shorts. She also wore brown boots that almost reached her knees, and she had her shirt tied up so that her stomach was exposed. Her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled when she smiled.

"The Captain told us all about you." she said, reaching out and shaking my hand, "He also filled us in on that cute little vivosaur friend of yours!"

" _Shove it._ " Nibbles growled. I glared at him, silently scolding him before turning back to the woman.

"That's right." I said, smiling, "I'm Tria, and the grumpy one there is Nibbles."

The woman laughed. "I'm Becky, one of the staff members at Fossil Park America. Nice to meet you!" Becky then turned on her heel, gesturing for me to follow her. "If you follow me, I'll introduce you to my brother, Sean. He's the boss here." she said, shaking her head, "Do NOT ask me how that happened." I laughed, following her into the elevator.

The office at the top of the building had a map of the continental United States on the floor. A massive T-rex head fossil was placed against the right wall, with a desk in the left corner. The back of the office was a massive window overlooking the city. Standing in front of the window was a man with the same blond hair as Becky dressed in a denim jacket and pants with a red bandana around his neck. He turned away from the window when we stepped into his office and walked over to us.

"Yo, Tria!" he said, flashing me a bright smile, his stunningly-white teeth seeming to gleam, "How's it going? I'm Sean! I'm the big cheese here at Fossil Park America. Nice to finally meet ya!" He gave me a thumbs-up, his smile widening.

"Uh…thanks?" I said, feeling slightly shy next to his extrovertedness.

"Hey!" Sean said suddenly, causing me to jump, "I have a great idea! Have you taken stroll 'round our park yet?"

"Not yet. I just got here." I said, leaning back slightly. Nibbles growled in warning. Sean didn't seem to notice.

"Then how 'bout my sister and I give you a tour? We'll even take you to the Goldrush Canyon dig site! Whaddya say?" he asked me excitedly.

I opened my mouth, not entirely sure how I was supposed to answer that, but Becky beat me to it.

"Sean!" she scolded, stepping forward with her hands on her hips, "You still have work to do! You can't go around wasting time giving people tours!"

"I'm not wasting time!" Sean defended, turning to his sister, "I'm getting to know a new up-and-coming Warden whose potential has been recognized by the Captain himself!" He then looked at me, his gaze resting on my left arm, which still wore bandages (a precaution Liu Ren insisted upon). "Besides, she's still injured from the Gorgo's attack, so it may be a good idea to accompany her into the dig site, in case her injuries start acting up."

Becky backed off, looking at my arm as well. Nibbles growled, although it wasn't at the American Wardens this time.

"Oh, you don't have to do that! I can take care of myself. You shouldn't neglect your work just for me." I said, not used to this kind of favoritism anymore.

"Nonsense!" Sean insisted, "It's no trouble at all! We'd be more than happy to show you around. Right, Becky?" He looked at his sister expectantly. Becky bit her lip, looking at my injured arm again before sighing.

"I guess." she said, looking at her brother sternly, "But you still have work to do. You'll have to do that once you get back."

"Of course, Becky!" Sean said happily, grabbing her arm and putting his arm around my shoulders, "Let's go already!"

"Slow down!" I exclaimed as Nibbles growled in irritation. All three of us were shoved into the elevator, with Sean following in quickly and hurriedly closing the doors. I looked between Sean, who was now grinning broadly, and Becky, who was glaring at her brother with her arms crossed. I exchanged a glance with Nibbles, who growled again.

"By the way, Sean." I said, looking up at him and smiling knowingly, "You're not just using this as an excuse to put off your other work, are you?"

Sean turned bright red, looking between me and his sister, who had just arched her eyebrow.

"N-No way! That's not it at all! I'm just worried about you going into a dig site in your condition! That's all!" he exclaimed defensively, looking at his sister nervously as I burst out laughing. Becky just shook her head.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sean said as we got out of the elevator, "Captain Stryker wanted me to give you this upgraded sonar for your Bone Buggy. There are also new models and upgrades you can buy with the money from the jewels you dig up."

"Awesome!" I said happily. The Light 4WD Bone Buggy is sturdy, but it's also slow and small. At the Garage, I used the money I had gotten from the pearls and topazes to buy a Digger's Rig, the same model used by Stryker. I kept the blue paint job that my original Bone Buggy had, but I installed the upgraded sonar, new tires, a new engine, new digging tools, and a new Defense Up Support Shot set.

Goldrush Canyon was a canyon located in the American Midwest. It was filled with the statues of dinosaurs carved into the canyon walls. The entire canyon glowed dark orange under the sun, which could only be seen for a few hours due to the high walls.

"How do you like it?" Sean asked, "Pretty sweet, huh?" He drove off in his own Digger's Rig, "Let's go dig up some fossils!"

"Slow down, Sean!" Becky yelled at him through the radio, "We came along to look after Tria! How are you supposed to protect her if you're so far in front of her?!"

"Aw, leave him be, Becky." I said calmly, smiling at the screen, "Being the leader of an entire Fossil Park is hard work. Let him have some fun."

"Exactly!" Sean agreed whole-heartedly, "But don't you worry, Tria, I'm not letting you out of my sight for a second! You're always safe with me!"

Becky groaned at her brother's declaration, while I just laughed and began excavating fossils from the canyon walls. We spent several hours in the Goldrush Canyon excavating fossils and battling rogue vivosaurs. I tried using Gorgo in some battles, much to the astonishment of my companions, but he was still reluctant to obey me and didn't take the battles seriously. Sean and Becky bickered often, as did their vivosaurs (Sean's Nychus and Becky's Big Allo), much to the amusement of my vivosaurs and myself. Once the canyon became too dark, due to the walls blocking the sun, we returned to the Fossil Center.

"Wooo!" Sean yelled when we returned to his office, "I haven't had that much fun in a long time!"

"You say that every time we go to Goldrush Canyon." Becky said in annoyance, but she was smiling as well.

"I had fun, too." I said, stifling a yawn. It would seem that I still hadn't fully recovered from Gorgo's attack, and Gorgo himself was giving me trouble in the field, which drained my energy even more. Becky, taking notice of my exhaustion, turned to her brother.

"I think it's time for Tria to head back to Warden HQ. She's tired and needs rest." she informed him. He looked at me, nodding his head.

"So she is, but by the time she gets back, dinner will have already been served." he said, turning to me, "Why don't you eat here with us before you go back? I can have food brought up here, if you want."

"Sure." I said as my stomach growled. I heard Nibbles' stomach growl, too. "Could something be brought for him, too?"

"Of course!" Sean yelled, bringing out a table and chairs from behind the T-rex head, "Let's eat!"

I smiled as Becky helped Sean set up the table and chairs. I offered to help, too, but they would hear nothing of it. We sat around the table, talking about our experiences as Wardens, our favorite vivosaurs, what we like most and least about being Wardens, and things like that. By the time we had finished eating, however, the topics had shifted to childhood memories, petty sibling quarrels, and even the philosophy behind our favorite colors. I don't know how long I stayed there, but once I started falling asleep at the table, the two American Wardens escorted me to the World Gate, with Sean following me through the portal and explaining to Captain Stryker why I was so late. Once Sean had returned to America, Stryker turned to me, smiling sympathetically.

"You look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet, Tria." he said, looking at the little vivosaur standing next to me, who was leaning against my leg, "He looks like he's about to fall asleep, too."

"It's been a busy day." I replied tiredly, "But I got to know the American leader and his sister. That's what you told me to do."

"Indeed." Stryker agreed, nodding, "I'm just amazed you survived touring Goldrush Canyon with Sean AND Becky. That's impressive, especially for your first day as a Warden."

"I thought it was fun." I said, yawning again. Nibbles yawned, too. Stryker laughed, picking up the phone on his desk.

"Penny? This is Captain Stryker. Your roommate has returned, and she's about to fall asleep where she stands. Could you come up and show her to her room?" he said into the phone.

"Tria's back?! I'm on my way!" I heard her practically yell into the phone. Less than a minute later, the elevator door opened and out stepped the excited blond. She was wearing a pair of pink pajamas and her hair was out of its usual pigtails, causing it to cascade down her back.

"Tria! Are you okay?" she cried, throwing her arms around me as I almost collapsed. Nibbles growled, but his exhaustion made his voice lose its bite.

"I'm fine, Penny." I assured her, standing up straight again, "I'm just tired and need sleep." I yawned again, emphasizing my exhaustion.

"Come on, then!" Penny said, pulling me into the elevator, "We're sharing a room, so I can take you there! Your stuff's in there already. Have you eaten yet? If not, we can get you something."

"It's all right." I told her, smiling at her kindness and concern, "I ate in America, since I knew I'd get back too late for dinner."

"Oh, good!" Penny said happily.

Our room was a simple room with two beds, one against each wall. My stuff was sitting on the right-side bed.

"You can get changed in the restroom across the hall." Penny told me.

"Thank you. I'll be back soon." I thanked her, making my way to the restroom.

After changing into my pajamas, a pink-and-black two-piece, I looked at my left arm, wondering how I was going to replace the bandages. That's when I heard a knock at the door.

"Tria?" I heard Penny ask, "Are you okay? Nibbles is getting anxious."

I looked at my arm, which was no longer bandaged. The scar had healed significantly, but it was still a nasty-looking gash. Penny knocked again, sounding more concerned this time.

"Penny." I said hesitantly, "Do you think you could help me with something?"

"Sure. Are you okay, Tria?" she asked when I opened the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need help bandaging my arm." I replied, keeping said arm behind my back, "Could you get Nibbles? He could probably help."

"What do you need? I can help." Penny answered, looking at me with wide eyes.

"I don't know, Penny." I muttered, "I don't want you to have to see this scar. It's not pretty."

Penny glared at me, her hands on her hips. "I am your friend, Tria. I want to help you in any way I can. I don't care how your arm looks, if I can help you, I will."

I looked at the blond girl with wide, shocked eyes. I wasn't expecting the ferocity in her voice. "Are you sure, Penny?" I asked again.

"I'm sure, Tria. I want to help you." Penny insisted, walking into the restroom with me and grabbing the clean bandages, "Now let me see your arm."

I looked at her, still slightly shocked at her sudden commanding tone, before hesitantly holding out my injured arm. Penny's face paled at the sight of my scar, but she shook it off, wrapping the bandages around my arm. Once she had finished, I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Penny. I owe you one." I said as we went back to our room.

"You don't own me anything, Tria." she replied, "I told you, we're friends, and friends help each other."

"I know that, but…" I said, putting my hand on her back, "You look like you're about to be sick."

Penny turned away from me, placing her hand over her mouth as her other arm was draped over my shoulders. "It's not the scar itself. It's just…I don't like that you were hurt that badly. I don't like it when my friends get hurt." She sat down on her bed, covering her face with her hands. I looked at Nibbles, who was curled up on my bed, before sitting down next to the distressed girl.

"It wasn't your fault. You weren't even in the dig site when it happened." I told her, wrapping my arms around her. She returned my embrace, burying her face in my shoulder.

"That's just it! I wasn't there for you!" she sobbed, "I knew the Gorgo was there, I knew you and Roland were going back to Paradise Beach for training, and I didn't even THINK of how much danger you were in! I only thought about becoming a Warden! I only thought of myself! I'm a horrible friend!"

"Now, Penny. You know as much as I do that's not true." I said, my voice gentle and soothing. She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face, not entirely believing me, so I continued, "I had escaped the first time unscathed, so there was no reason for you to think that the next time would be any different. Also, you weren't just thinking about yourself. You had a partner, and if you failed, she'd fail, too." I looked into Penny's eyes, smiling reassuringly. "So you see? You weren't thoughtless or selfish. You were following orders, orders that, at the time, you had no reason not to follow. There's no reason to be upset about it. I survived the attack, both my partner and I became Wardens, you and your partner also became Wardens, and I'll make a full recovery, so I'll be able to continue to serve as a Warden. Everything is going to be okay, so come on, cheer up."

Penny stared at me in astonishment. She must've been beating herself up about this ever since I was in the hospital. She almost couldn't believe that I didn't blame her for my attack. Her arms tightened around me and she cried into my shoulder, all of the guilt and relief pouring out of her. I held her against my chest, stroking her back and whispering soothing words into her ear as I rocked her back and forth. Eventually, I felt her cries fade and her body go limp against me. Her breathing evened out as she fell asleep. I smiled gently, laying her down on her bed and pulling the covers over her. I then walked over to my own bed, lying down and pulling the covers over myself.

" _Why did you do that?_ " Nibbles asked me, " _Those noises were hurting MY ears, and I was all the way over here._ "

"She was very upset." I told him, "She needed to know that I held no ill feelings against her, and that I'll still be here for her when she needs me. It's what friends do."

Nibbles just snorted, curling up again and going to sleep. I closed my eyes, remembering how tired I was, and fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, joining my companions in dreamland.


	7. Taming the Lone Wolf

I woke up to the sun shining through the window. Penny was still asleep, smiling gently at whatever she was dreaming about. I sat up, yawning and stretching. I felt refreshed and ready for whatever the day would bring. As I got up and got dressed, Nibbles woke up and yawned, stretching his body before walking over to me so I could put his bandana on him. I looked at the clock next to my bed. 9:30a.m. I looked over at the sleeping blond.

" _Leave her._ " Nibbles growled, heading for the door. I sighed.

"You've really got to get over that attitude of yours. Penny's right, you're too cute for it."

" _I am NOT cute!_ " Nibbles barked at me, huffing and turning away.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to Penny, gently shaking her shoulder. "Penny. It's time to wake up." I sang softly. Penny groaned and turned over, muttering something about 'five more minutes, Mom'. I smiled, shaking her with a little more force. "Come on, Penny. You don't want to be late for your next assignment, do ya?"

Penny groaned again, louder this time, and rolled over, opening her eyes to look at me blearily. "Mm…Tria?" she mumbled, still out of it.

I laughed, "Good morning, sleepy-head. Welcome to the waking world."

Penny sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She ran her fingers through her long blond hair, swaying slightly as she stood up.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you're not a morning person, eh?" I said, grinning as I caught her when she swayed a little too much.

"Meh." she mumbled, grabbing her clothes and heading to the bathroom.

After Penny left, I gathered my own supplies, sparing a look at the Gorgo's Dino Gear. As I was about to sit back down to wait for Penny, my phone started ringing.

"Hello. Tria here." I answered it.

"Tria? This is Sean. We need your help with something. After you check in with the Captain, please report to Fossil Park America." the American Leader ordered. It didn't sound incredibly urgent, but I knew I'd better get moving. The American Leader wasn't known for his patience. As I headed out of my room, I knocked on the bathroom door.

"Penny? I just received my orders, so I'm gonna go on ahead." I said through the door. I heard a muffled "okay" from the other side, so I continued my trek to the Captain's office, stopping by the kitchen to grab a granola bar on the way.

"Good morning, Captain!" I said as I got off the elevator.

"Good morning, Tria." Stryker greeted me, "I've gotten Sean's message. I didn't expect you to be needed in America right away, but I didn't expect it to take long, either. Head to America and see what Sean needs your help with. Dismissed."

"Yes sir!" I said, saluting and heading back down the elevator. As I looked into the kitchen, I saw my friends sitting at the table, eating breakfast. I debated going in to eat with them, but Sean's impatience, combined with Nibbles' glare, convinced me otherwise, so I turned around and headed through the World Gate.

"Ah, Tria! Sup?" Sean greeted me when I entered his office, "Wasn't Goldrush Canyon totes awesome or what? How 'bout I open up another dig site for ya?"

I arched my eyebrow. "You called me here to go to another dig site?" I asked.

"No way, mister!" I heard Becky call from the elevator, "This is no time to be opening more dig sites, and you know it!"

"All right, all right. Chill, Becks. My head gets all spinny whenever I start thinking about dig sites, ya know?" Sean groaned, rubbing his temple before turning back to me. "Anyway, Tria, I actually called you here because I've got, like, a problem I'm hoping you can help me with. It's kind of a team effort and stuff, so I'm gonna have you partner up with the new guy on this one."

"New guy?" I asked, before my eyes widened in horror, "Wait, you don't mean…?!"

"You called, Chief?" a familiarly-arrogant voice said from the elevator. I turned to face the punk with the purple hair.

"Leon?!" I exclaimed, backing away from my fellow graduate. Nibbles snarled viciously.

"Tria?!" Leon yelled, clearly not expecting me to be there, "What are YOU doing here?!"

"Tria's, like, working for the Captain now." Sean answered for me, "You know, shreddin' it up on top-secret Warden missions all across the globe. Pretty rad, huh?"

Leon glared at me, looking more than a little jealous. "…Yeah. Rad." He then turned back to the American Leader. "Look, Chief, you got a job for me or what?"

Sean leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Sure do. I need you two to escort some little dude on a dig. He's waiting over at the Fossil Stadium. You can't miss him." He looked at both me and Leon, adding sternly, "Oh, and I'm, like, totally counting on you and stuff, so don't face-plant. Cool?"

"Yes sir!" I said, standing up straighter. Nibbles growled, not pleased with the idea of dealing with another human. Leon wasn't pleased, either, for a similar reason.

"You gotta be kiddin' me." he growled, facing me, "Listen, rookie. I don't care who sent you or why you're here. I work alone. Got it?" He then spun on his heel and began to head back to the elevator.

"Look, Leon." I barked harshly, making him stop in his tracks, "I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea of working with YOU, either, but our orders state that we need to work together, and I intend to follow those orders, whether you like it or not!" Nibbles roared aggressively to emphasize my point. Leon spun back around and stood right in front of me, staring down at me.

"Listen, Tria. You may think you're a hotshot just because you got a 'rad' gig from the Captain, but that doesn't mean you can boss me around! I'm gonna complete this mission alone and that's FINAL!" He then stormed out of Sean's office without giving any of us a chance to respond. Sean groaned exasperatedly, resting his elbows on his desk and closing his eyes, rubbing both of his temples.

"That dude is seriously harshing my mellow. He won't even TRY to work with other people! Even if I ask nice!" he cried frustratedly.

"I don't care how skilled this Leon character is. He can't keep behaving like this!" Becky stated, "You have to work with your allies if you want to be a Warden!"

"I'll handle Leon." I declared, making the sibling Wardens look at me.

"You sure, Tria?" Sean asked me uncertainly, "He's pretty hard-headed."

"I'll manage." I insisted, a sly grin spreading across my face, "I have this talent for getting through to people."

"All right!" Sean said happily, "I'm, like, totally counting on you!" He then gave me his signature gleaming grin and a thumbs-up. "Now go rock my world!"

"Will do!" I responded, saluting, and marched into the elevator, Nibbles close behind.

" _What are you planning to do, Tria?_ " he asked, " _The purple one is very stubborn._ "

"To be honest, I have no idea. The only thing I know that's gonna get through that guy's thick skull is for him to see for himself that he can't do everything on his own." I replied, rubbing my hand down my face as a headache began to develop, "For now, let's just see who it is we're supposed to be escorting." Nibbles snorted apprehensively, but he didn't argue. He wanted to see how this little face-off between me and the lone wolf would play out.

The American Fossil Stadium was easy enough to find. It was right across from the store (which was closed for maintenance), and the building was covered with flame patterns. The lobby was a large room with a wide red carpet leading to the reception counter. Leon was standing in front of said reception counter, tapping his foot impatiently as he looked around. When he saw me, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I told you to get lost, rookie." he snarled, crossing his arms and glaring at me.

"Who are you calling a rookie, punk?" I barked back, "You and I became Wardens at the same time, and while you took the planned Warden Test, I was faced with a real-life situation! So if anything, YOU'RE the rookie here!"

His eyes narrowed further, if that was possible, and he stepped in front of me. "Now listen here, Tria. I. Work. Alone! You'd only get in my way, especially with that injured arm."

Nibbles growled in my defense, making Leon look at him. "And what's with this little vivosaur, anyway? Why were you chosen to look after him? What makes you so special?"

Nibbles roared at him and charged, snapping at his legs. Leon jumped back and took a fighting stance.

"Well, you're a surly fellow. You wanna go? 'Cause I'll throw down right here!" he yelled confidently. Nibbles jumped at him, ready to tear the other Warden to shreds, but I grabbed him, holding him back.

"THERE you are!" a young, childish voice called out suddenly.

All three of us turned to see a little boy of about eight or nine years of age approach us. He was wearing a dark red shirt that was the same color as his hair. He also had a strange symbol on his forehead and bronze-colored eyes. There was something not-quite-right about him.

"You guys must be the escorts, huh? What took you so long?" the kid asked in an obnoxious tone that implied he was used to being spoiled rotten.

"Who's this mope?" Leon asked, not liking this kid's tone any more than I did.

"I'm no mope!" the kid yelled, offended, "I'm Lucky! I'm the VIP you're SUPPOSED to be escorting! Don't tell me you forgot already!"

"VIP?" I thought to myself, "Yep. Definitely spoiled. This kid must have rich parents or something." Nibbles growled in annoyance.

Leon leaned over to me, whispering in my ear, "Hey, Tria? Lemme ask you something, one professional to another…" He glanced sideways at the Lucky kid, "Think anyone would mind if I smacked this mope upside the head?"

"So I'm a professional now?" I thought as I replied, "Unfortunately, yes. He's clearly spoiled rotten, which means that he probably has rich or important parents, and they'd definitely mind someone hitting him."

"What are you guys talking about?" Lucky asked in annoyance, putting his hands on his hips.

Leon chuckled. "Heh. Nothing, kid. All right, Lucky. I'll be your escort. C'mon, let's go."

"Oh dear…" I sighed sadly, "Not again…"

"Um…" Lucky muttered in confusion, "What about your friend there? And the little vivosaur?" He seemed to take a particular interest in Nibbles, which was understandable.

Leon sneered at Lucky's description of me as a 'friend'. "Them? Just baggage. I'm all the escort you need." He grabbed Lucky's arm, dragging him out of the Fossil Stadium. "Let's go."

"Um…okay. I guess you look strong enough to handle it." Lucky agreed reluctantly, glancing at me one more time before following Leon to the Garage, "But if something terrible happens to me, there's gonna be hell to pay!"

Leon ignored Lucky's last comment, shoving past Becky as he left with the kid. I sighed as Becky walked over to me.

"Well, that could've gone better." she said, looking back at the Stadium's entrance, "I take it Leon left you behind."

"Yeah…" I sighed again, "Sorry, Becky." Nibbles snorted.

"No reason to apologize." she said, waving it off, "It's not your fault he's such a stubborn mule. I thought a member of his graduating class might get through to him…" She trailed off.

"Don't worry, Becky." I said, determination returning to my eyes, "I'll go after him."

Becky perked up. "Really? You'd really do that?"

"Of course." I replied, "If something bad happened to either of them because of Leon's stubbornness, there's no way I could just stand idly by."

"Thanks, Tria," Becky said, smiling with relief, "It means a lot."

"Don't mention it." I said, smiling in return, "It IS my mission too, after all." And with that, I took off toward the Garage, Nibbles just barely keeping pace. As I got in my Digger's Rig and headed out, I saw some commotion going on a short ways from the Goldrush Canyon's entrance.

"Oh, that can't be good." I thought, squinting as I headed for the energetic area. My eyes then widened as I saw a purple Turf Shredder. "Is that Leon's Bone Buggy?! Why is it smoking?!"

As I got closer, I saw Leon standing in front of his busted vehicle, facing off against two large, burly men. Actually, he was backing away from them. His nose was bleeding. Further away, a third man was carrying Lucky to his Bone Buggy, completely unfazed by the young boy's struggling. The sight of Leon's beat-up form and Lucky's tearful screaming caused anger to flare up in my chest. I don't care how insufferable either of them are, I still see them as my friends, and NOBODY hurts my friends!

"Ha ha! The psychic wonder's all ours now!" the man carrying Lucky laughed, grinning, "No hard feelings, right? It's strictly business."

"Yeah!" one of the guys restraining Leon crowed, "Who would've thought they'd send him with only a single escort? Guess we got…LUCKY! Ha ha ha ha!"

"Psychic wonder?" I thought in confusion. That's when I heard Sean's voice over the radio.

"Yo, Tria! I heard what happened. That's rough…" he said, sighing in frustration. He then noticed my alarmed expression. "What's wrong, Tria?"

"Leon and Lucky are being attacked by some guys! They're calling Lucky a 'psychic wonder'! What are they talking about?"

"Oh man. This blows!" Sean groaned loudly, "This is why he needs TWO escorts! Lucky's a big deal here in America! He has psychic powers that let him find rare fossils that don't appear on sonar!" He looked at me in desperation. "Hurry, Tria! You have to help them!"

"I'm already on it!" I yelled, turning my rage into adrenaline as I floored my Bone Buggy's accelerator, speeding towards Leon. The guys restraining him jumped away as I drove between them and Leon.

"Oh crap! Boss! Another Warden!" one of the guys cried.

"You should've driven past us, Warden! Now you're gonna pay!" the other threatened confidently.

I got out of my Digger's Rig and ran to Leon's side, kneeling beside him as Nibbles charged at the two men. They scrambled back toward their Bone Buggies, their eyes wide as they stared at the angry little vivosaur snarling at them.

"Grrr! We don't have time for this!" the boss yelled, shoving Lucky into his Bone Buggy, "You two! Take care of that little pipsqueak!"

"Yes sir!" they replied, sending out a duo of armor-plated Goyle. The tank-like herbivores glared at us from under their armored eyelids and roared.

"Leon!" I yelled to the traumatized male next to me, "Leon! Can you stand?!"

Leon didn't answer. He just remained on his knees, staring at the ground. "I…I failed…" he muttered to no one.

I looked at the defeated lone wolf worriedly as I pressed a cloth from the first-aid kit in my Bone Buggy to his still-bleeding nose, moving his hand up so that he held it in place. He seemed completely unaware that he was even injured. I stood up to face the two Air-type vivosaurs. Nibbles moved up, ready to fight, but I ordered him to stay back and look after Leon. I knew who this job called for.

"You're gonna regret this!" I roared at my adversaries, throwing my own Dino Gear, "Gorgo! Show these losers what real power looks like!"

A bright flash of light signaled the giant carnivore's appearance on the battlefield. He roared in rage, eager to find an enemy to vent his anger on. He then turned to me grudgingly, knowing by habit that he was supposed to follow my orders, but I simply gestured to the two herbivores with a wave of my hand.

"Have fun!" I sang to him, letting him decide his method of attack. I knew he would fight violently if I let him, but he wasn't the only one who had anger that needed venting.

Gorgo's eyes widened, and he almost seemed to smile back before charging at one of the Goyles. The herbivore attempted to side-step the Fire-type vivosaur, but Gorgo's battle experience showed through as he followed its movement with ease. He grabbed the smaller vivosaur in his jaws and lifted it into the air, shaking it like a dog would a chew toy. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the second Goyle attempting to ram Gorgo while he wasn't looking.

"Gorgo! Behind you!" I yelled to my vivosaur.

The carnivore, suddenly remembering his second adversary, pivoted on the spot and threw the first Goyle into the second, sending them both flying. Unsatisfied, he chased after them and jumped, using the technique I had ordered Lophus MN to use on him during our first battle. He brought his feet down on the two herbivores, driving them into the ground. He then jumped back to me as the two vivosaurs' Dino Gears flew back to their fighters' Bone Buggies.

"Y-You think you're good?!" one of the guys yelled, backing up his Bone Buggy, "I wouldn't get too cozy if I were you! Those vivosaurs were just the ones we use for battle practice!"

"Yeah!" the other added pointlessly, "Our REAL vivosaurs won't be nearly such pushovers! So if you wanna save this so-called psychic wonder boy, you and that Warden with the bad haircut are gonna have to chase us down!" And with that, they drove away.

"Hey! Get back here!" Leon yelled suddenly, disregarding the bloody cloth, which Nibbles caught, "…And my hair is AWESOME!"

"Leon! Calm down!" I scolded him, placing the cloth back on his nose,  
"You're hurt! You need medical attention!"

Leon growled, staring at the ground again, not even trying to fight me, "Man, the Chief's gonna bust me down to a grunt for this…"

"Worry about your ranking AFTER you get your injuries treated!" I told him sternly, leading him to my Bone Buggy, "Get in. I'll take you back to the Park."

Leon looked at me like he was about to protest, but he went silent as the shadow of my Gorgo loomed over us. I pushed him in, ordering Nibbles in behind him before I turned to face the large carnivore.

"Good work, my friend." I said to him, holding out my uninjured arm to him. He looked at me apprehensively, still not trusting me. I sighed, lowering my arm. "I'm sorry, Gorgo, but I need you to return to your Dino Gear. My friend is hurt and needs treatment, and they don't let large vivosaurs wander around the Fossil Parks. Please?"

Gorgo looked from me to my Bone Buggy, focusing on the two beings looking out the window, then turned back to me and nodded, transforming back into a Dino Gear and falling into my palm. I could sense that he still wasn't very trusting, but I could tell that his hatred and resentment were starting to wane. I smiled at him before climbing into the driver's seat, heading back to the Fossil Park. One the way back, I contacted Sean.

"Yo, Tria! Sup?" he asked as he usually did, but his tone was grave, "What's the situation?"

"Lucky was kidnapped by a group of thugs, who intend to use him to find rare fossils. I managed to save Leon, but he has a bloody nose. Could you send someone to meet us at the Garage with a first-aid kit?" I reported, making note of the fact that Leon was sliding down in his seat, as if to disappear from sight.

"Roger that. We'll form a plan to rescue Lucky when you two return." Sean replied, nodding. He then looked over to Leon's seat. "Is that you, Leon?" he asked.

I looked over at Leon. He had gone silent, so I answered for him.

"It is, sir. Leon's Bone Buggy was damaged in the attack, so he's riding with me. We'll need someone to retrieve it, since mine doesn't have towing capacity."

"Roger. We'll handle it." Sean replied, turning back to look again at the Warden next to me, "Leon…"

Leon flinched, looking away in shame. I was about to intervene, to ask Sean to hold off scolding him until after his injuries had been treated, but the American Leader just smiled kindly.

"I'm glad you're safe." he said, and with that, he signed off.

Leon looked at the now-blank screen with wide eyes, not knowing how to handle this kindness. I didn't say anything, but when he looked down at his hands, which were folded in his lap, I reached over to lay my hand on his arm. He flinched again and looked at me with wary eyes, but I just smiled at him, radiating as much kindness as I could. His eyes began shining, and he turned away again, gritting his teeth as a single tear fell down his cheek. I just kept driving.

Once we got back, we were met by Becky, who had a first-aid kit in her hands. While she treated Leon, I stood back, watching with a blank look on my face.

"Those chumps won't get away with this!" he yelled, his shame fueling his rage, "As soon as my Bone Buggy's up and running, I'm gonna track him down! It's payback time! You hear me?! PAYBACK TIME!"

"Leon! Stop moving around so much!" Becky commanded the younger Warden, "How am I supposed to treat your injuries if you keep moving?!"

"I'll take you all on myself! I'll burn your little gang to the ground!" he yelled, not registering Becky's words.

"Not alone, you're not." I said sternly, not moving from my spot leaning against the wall of the Garage.

Leon turned to me, shaking off Becky as he approached. "Zip it, Tria! This is MY job! I made this mess, and I'm gonna be the one who's gonna clean it up!"

"You never learn, Leon." I said, my cold, unsympathetic tone unwavering as I stared at him directly in the eye, "The reason this occurred in the first place is because you weren't up to the task. If I hadn't shown up to bail you out, who knows what those thugs would've done to you?"

Leon growled at me. "I work alone! I've always worked alone! Other people only get in the way!"

Becky, having finally heard enough, grabbed Leon's shoulders and turned him forcefully to face her.

"Now listen here, Leon, and you listen good!" she yelled, "You can't take this on your own! You and Tria were BOTH given this job, and you BOTH have to work together to see it through! The only way this is gonna work is if you cooperate with your allies! With your friends!"

At the mention of friends, Leon finally snapped.

"I DON'T HAVE FRIENDS!" he roared, startling everyone, including the mechanics repairing his Bone Buggy, "I don't have friends! I don't have allies! I! Work! ALONE!" He then stormed out of the Garage, heading toward a deserted area of the Park.

"What do you think you can do by yourself, Leon?!" Becky screamed after him, "Is your head made of marshmallows or something?!"

"That's enough, Becky." I said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. When she looked at me, I continued, "I'm going after him."

"Forget it, Tria." she said cynically, her shoulders drooping, "He's never gonna listen to reason. He's just too damn stubborn."

"I don't think that's the main problem." I replied, turning to my little vivosaur partner, "Nibbles, I want you to go with Becky to report this occurrence to Sean." Nibbles protested, but I insisted, "I need to be gentle with this, and I know how you growl whenever something upsets you."

"What are you gonna do, Tria?" Becky asked me nervously.

"Just talk." I answered. At the confused expressions that both the Warden and the vivosaur were giving me, I elaborated, "I may not know exactly what's going on here, but I do know that this problem is a lot more complicated than mere stubbornness."

Becky and Nibbles still didn't look convinced, but Nibbles, remembering how well I had handled Nate's panic, eased Roland's guilt, and comforted Penny during her breakdown, finally relented and headed for Sean's office, with Becky following reluctantly. With them finally accepting my response, I headed after Leon, knowing what I had to do.


	8. A Wolf's Pain

Finding the Lone Warden wasn't very hard; I just had to go where the people weren't. He was sitting on a box behind the Fossil Stadium, glaring at the ground as he fought back tears. I walked up to him, standing next to his box.

"Whaddya want, Tria?" he asked, his voice a defeated monotone, "You gonna lecture me, too?'

"No." I replied, "I'm just worried about you. I don't like seeing my friends in pain."

"I'm not your friend." he growled with all the aggression he could muster.

"You may not see me as your friend." I said gently, "But I see you as mine, and that's good enough for me."

Leon kept his eyes on the ground as he asked the question I had seen in his expression countless times, "Why?"

I tilted my head. "Why what?"

He finally found the strength to look up at me. "Why do you see me as your friend? I haven't shown you an ounce of kindness, so why are you so nice to me?"

I smiled at the confused male, looking at the box he was sitting on. "May I join you?"

Leon arched his eyebrow in confusion before processing what I was saying and shrugged. "Why not? You're gonna do it whether I agree or not."

"Not true." I responded, offended, "If you'd prefer, I'll just keep standing."

Leon looked at me and rolled his eyes, scooting over. "Sit."

"Thank you." I said, sitting down next to my fellow Warden and folding my hands in my lap, "Now, why do I see you as a friend when you've given me no reason to? Was that your question?"

"Yeah." he affirmed.

I smiled kindly, not looking at him, and replied, "Because I can tell it's just an act."

Leon flinched away from me, as if I had jabbed him with my elbow again. "A-An act?" he squeaked. I nodded, looking at him this time.

"That's right. I can see right through you. You're not naturally this hard to get along with, this stubborn and standoffish." I placed a hand on his arm. "You're trying to keep people away on purpose, aren't you?"

Leon refused to look at me, but I knew I was on the right track when he muttered weakly, "Is it really that obvious?"

"Only to me. I'm good at reading people." I replied. He smiled bitterly, glad that no one else suspected the reasons for his jerky behavior. I continued, "I don't know why you don't want friends, and I'm not gonna push you to make them, but if you ever find you want or need one, I'm here for you."

Leon stared unresponsive at the ground. I sighed and stood up.

"I'm gonna go discuss the plan for Lucky's rescue with Sean and Becky. If you wish to join us, you're more than welcome to." I said, starting to walk away. However, I found myself held in place by a hand gripping my wrist. I looked back at Leon, who was still staring at the ground.

I could tell he wanted to beg me not to leave, to tell me everything, but all he said was, "Is this your injured arm?"

I looked at my bandaged arm. I really should've taken them off by then; it'd healed plenty. "Yeah, I should be removing the bandages soon."

I walked back over to Leon, letting him cradle my arm in his hands. "That Gorgo…the one you used against those thugs…was that...?"

"Yes." I replied when I noticed he was having trouble voicing his question, "That Gorgo is the same one that attacked me at Paradise Beach."

Leon looked up at me, not letting go of my arm, as if I'd disappear the moment he did. "How…why do you have it with you? Why are you battling with it? Why?"

"Why?" I repeated his question, sitting back down as I stared into his eyes, "Because you're not the only one who uses anger to hide his pain."

Leon stared at me, astonished. I reached into my pocket with my free arm and pulled out Gorgo's Dino Gear.

"He was abused and abandoned by his former fighter." I explained, holding him out for Leon to see, "Because of this, he's become hateful and angry toward everything around him. I'm hoping to ease those feelings by letting him see the good in the world. I'm doing the same for Nibbles."

"Nibbles? You mean the little vivosaur?" Leon muttered, looking around, "Where is he, anyway?"

"I sent him with Becky to report to Sean." I said, placing Gorgo back in my pocket, "He tends to get aggressive easily, and that's the last thing you need."

Leon looked back at my arm, running his fingers over the bandaged area. "Why would you help someone who has hurt you, even when they don't show any remorse?"

"Because no one's perfect." I replied, "Everyone is different. Everyone will get hurt, and everyone will hurt someone else. It's a part of life. The key to living happily with others is to accept that we will sometimes hurt each other, sometimes get hurt by each other, and learn to forgive each other for our mistakes. That's what I do, anyway." When I finished my little rant, I looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I guess I did kinda lecture you there."

Leon looked back at me, eyes conflicted. Hesitantly, he reached out to put an arm around my shoulders. "If I tell you this, will you promise not to tell anyone else? You have to swear it."

I smiled, scooting closer so that I was pressed against his side. "Would you like a pinkie swear, or will my word suffice?"

"Your word's fine." he said, taking a deep breath, "I've never been very social, but I did have one friend who I was really close to. We told each other everything, or, at least, I told him everything. We did everything together. We helped each other with our chores, shared our toys, and had sleepovers almost every weekend. I thought we were best friends, but I was wrong. Very wrong."

I noticed something wet fall on my head, and concluded that he was crying. His strained voice confirmed this as he continued.

"When I was in middle school, I noticed that all the kids were staying away from me. I could hear them laughing and calling me terrible names behind my back. Some would even try to beat me up, but the teachers would stop them before I got more than a few bruises. I would cry to my friend, and he would pretend to care. Until one day, when I had gone to his house earlier than planned and heard him talking on the phone, saying horrible things about me. When I confronted him, I found out that he had been spreading the rumors all along! He was only close to me so he could learn my secrets and spread them to all his friends! I broke his nose and ran out of his house, and I haven't seen him since."

Leon sniffled loudly, cutting himself off. I resisted the urge to look at him. I had the feeling he didn't want me to see him crying. Instead, I placed a hand over the one still holding my bandaged arm, snuggling closer to let him know I was still there. He gripped the offered hand and tightened his hold on my shoulders.

"My parents moved me to a different school, where nobody knew the rumors about me, but the damage was done. Since then, I've never been able to trust anyone to be my friend, and so I drive everyone away. I wanted to become a Warden to prove that I wasn't weak, that I could stand up for myself, that I didn't need friends." He laughed humorlessly. "So much for that, huh?"

I removed my arms from his grasp and wrapped them around his torso, nuzzling my head against his chest.

"I'm sorry, Leon." I whispered sorrowfully, "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Tria…" Leon mumbled, returning my embrace and burying his nose in my hair, "You've already done more to help me than anyone else has even attempted. I can't tell you how grateful I am."

We just sat there in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the comfort we got from each other. After a while, though, I lifted my head from his chest and looked up at him.

"We really should get going. We still need to rescue Lucky."

Leon's eyes, which had been closed, shot open. "Oh right! We still have to track down those damn thugs!" He stood up quickly and began to storm off toward the Fossil Center. I stopped him.

"Hold up, Leon!" I said, turning him back around.

"What is it, Tria? We have to get goi-" He stopping as I pulled out a cloth I had taken from the first-aid kit and dabbed his cheeks and the corners of his eyes.

"Do you really want everyone in the Park to know you were crying?" I asked.

"Oh yeah…" he muttered, "Thanks, Tria."

"No problem!" I said, smiling as I put the cloth away, "Ok, now let's go!"

Leon nodded, and we both ran back to Sean's office.

"Well, look who decided to join us." Sean said to me in greeting, his eyes widening when he saw my companion come out of the elevator with me, "You even got Leon to come with you?"

"Sorry, Chief." Leon said, his head bowed in shame. With an encouraging look from me, he continued, "I was so focused on proving that I was strong, that I had what it takes to be a Warden, but I only let everyone down." I put a hand on his shoulder and he smiled at me from under his bangs. "I see now that I'll need a partner, at least for this mission."

"And you know I'm ready to roll!" I concluded, pumping my fist in the air.

Leon nodded at me, and we both turned back to the sibling Wardens and the little vivosaur. All three of them were staring at us, their eyes wide as saucers and their jaws hitting the floor. They blinked at us, speechless, and Leon coughed awkwardly, looking at me for guidance.

"So…" I said in order to draw their attention, "What's the plan for Lucky's rescue?"

Sean jolted to attention. "Oh right! Well, the kidnappers said they wanted Lucky to help them find rare fossils in Goldrush Canyon, so we should probably look for them in areas with rare fossils."

Leon hummed, a thoughtful look on his face, before putting forward in a slightly hesitant voice, "You mean like Mt. Dinomore?"

Sean's eyes widened as Becky gasped, "That's right! There are T-rex Sue fossils up there!"

"That must be where they went!" Sean agreed, standing up and slamming his hands on his desk, "Tria! Leon! Head to Mt. Dinomore and rescue Lucky at once!"

"Yes sir!" Leon and I both yelled in unison and ran back to the elevator, with me gesturing for Nibbles to follow.

"And Tria!" Becky called after us, "Look after Leon for us!"

"Will do!" I called back, saluting. I ignored Leon's comment of "I don't need to be looked after!"

In the elevator, I leaned against the wall, sighing with fatigue. Leon noticed this and put his arm around me, letting me lean on his side. Nibbles growled at this blatant display of affection. Leon ignored him.

"Thanks, Tria." he said sincerely, making me look up at him, "If you hadn't been there, I don't think I would've had the courage to apologize."

I giggled, patting the arm he had around my shoulder. "Oh, I think you would've managed. You're a Warden, after all."

"Heh." Leon chuckled, staring at the elevator doors. Nibbles nudged my hand and growled again.

" _What did you do to him?_ " he asked me, looking skeptically at Leon, " _Did you kill him and replace him with this submissive double?_ "

I couldn't contain myself. I burst out laughing at the little vivosaur's assumption, clutching Leon's shirt for balance.

"What is it, Tria?" Leon cried, startled, "What'd he say?"

I drew in a shaky breath, trying to still the laughter that was escaping my throat, "H-He wants to know if I killed you and replaced you with a double." I said, still giggling. Leon didn't find this as amusing as I did, and glared at the vivosaur.

"No, she did not kill me and replace me with a double." he growled at Nibbles, who returned his glare unflinchingly. I looked at both of them when they didn't notice the elevator doors open and grabbed their arms, pulling them out of the elevator and toward Goldrush Canyon.

"Come on, ladies." I said, rolling my eyes as their glares shifted to me, "Let's save the bickering for later, shall we?"

"I'm not a lady!" Leon and Nibbles both barked at the same time, sending me into another fit of laughter as I climbed into my Digger's Rig. Nibbles followed me, still in a rather foul mood. Leon's Turf Shredder had been fixed a while ago, and he climbed in as well, following me out of the Garage and through the portal leading to Goldrush Canyon.

"Come on, Tria!" Leon yelled to me through the radio, "Let's burn rubber and bring those kidnappers down!"

"You got it, Leon!" I yelled back, flooring the accelerator as we both sped toward Mt. Dinomore.

Sure enough, at the top of Mt. Dinomore, were the Bone Buggies of the three kidnappers.

"There they are!" Leon exclaimed. I told him to keep his voice down as I tuned our radio into theirs.

"All right, kid!" the lead thug, who had taken Lucky, was saying, "Stop squirming! Just show us how much of a psychic you really are! Get out there and find us some rare fossils!"

It was then that I noticed Lucky was out of the Bone Buggy and on the ground near a large rock.

"Eeeeeeek!" Lucky screamed, looking around frantically, "Please let me back in! I can't protect myself from rogue vivosaurs! If one shows up, I'm toast!"

"You'll be toast either way if you don't find us any rare fossils!" another thug yelled.

"They're really putting the screws on the poor kid." Leon said, the guilt in his voice pitiable, "You ready for a Fossil Battle beatdown, Tria?"

"Ready!" I yelled.

"Then let's do this thing!" Leon was getting fired up.

"Bring 'em on!" And so was I.

"Grrr!" And so was Nibbles. I knew who I was going to use for this fight.

"All right, you sad sacks!" Leon yelled, his shame fueling his rage, "Hand Lucky over or else!"

"Y-You came back for me!" Lucky cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Of course we did! We're Wardens, after all!" I told him in confident reassurance.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" the thug leader said smugly.

"Looks like our Warden friends didn't learn their lesson the last time." one of his associates answered, his confidence sickening.

"I thought I told you to make like a bakery truck and haul buns!" the third thug yelled to us. I giggled at that, and Leon smirked.

"Come on, Tria! It's go time!" he yelled as the three turned their Bone Buggies to us, releasing three large Air-type carnivores called Beckles.

"Ready!" I yelled, looking to Nibbles. He knew what to do.

"Let's go, Ptera!" Leon commanded, releasing the large flying vivosaur, "We'll show these lackeys what REAL teamwork is!"

"Graaaaaaw!" the flying vivosaur screeched in challenge.

"All right, Nibbles." I said, opening the side door for him, "Do you thing."

"Grrr!" he growled, which translated to, " _With pleasure._ "

"Ahaha!" the thugs laughed when Nibbles ran onto the battlefield, "What? You're gonna fight us with that thing?!"

"If I were you…" I said confidently to my opponents, "I would not underestimate the power of the Nibblesaurus."

Everyone paused, with even Nibbles, Ptera, and Lucky turning to look at me with an "are-you-kidding-me" look on their faces.

"…Nibblesaurus…" Leon groaned, "Really, Tria?"

"Don't look at me, man." I said in my defense, holding my hands up, "Talk to Professor Little. That's what he decided to call Nibbles." I then took out my Fossilary and held up the entry on Nibbles. "It even says so right here."

Leon sweatdropped, as did Nibbles and Ptera when I showed them the entry. "So it does…" Leon said in a slightly disbelieving tone.

"Grr…" Nibbles growled low in his throat. I didn't hear everything he said, but I did catch the phrase "green-haired rodent" and could guess the rest.

"Just transform." I said exasperatedly, waving my hand dismissively. Nibbles shook his head tiredly and jumped to the ground.

The thugs were laughing at the name Professor Little had given Nibbles' unique species, but their laughter turned into terrified gasps when he transformed into his larger battle form.

"What the hell?!" the lead thug cried, "He was so small just a second ago! What happened?!"

"So he really CAN transform…" Leon said, his voice soft with awe, "Roland told us about it when you were in the hospital, but I've never seen it in person." Lucky's eyes were sparkling.

"Leon!" I yelled to him, "Nibbles and I will draw the Beckles away. Have Ptera grab Lucky!"

"Right!" Leon affirmed, ordering Ptera to circle.

Nibbles danced around the three larger carnivores, his agility allowing him to easily dodge their attacks. As the three Beckles became more enraged, so too did their fighters, leading them to become so focused on attacking Nibbles that they forgot all about keeping an eye on their captive. With the coast around the young boy clear, Leon ordered Ptera down and Lucky clung tightly to the vivosaur's neck as he brought him back to Leon's Bone Buggy. Once Lucky was safely inside, he clung to Leon's torso, bawling his eyes out into Leon's shirt. Leon looked at me through the screen, silently pleading for me to help him. I quickly drew the conclusion that Leon was not very good with kids.

"Glad to see you safe and sound, Lucky!" I said through the radio.

"Thanks, Tria!" he cried, still not letting go of Leon, "I was so scared!" He then looked up at Leon. "Thank you for coming back for me, Leon! I'm sorry I was so mean to you, and I'm sorry you got hurt!" His eyes were big and tearful.

"Hey, don't mention it." Leon said, awkwardly patting Lucky's head, "I'm tough. I can take it."

Lucky looked up at the older male, eyes sparkling with admiration, and I cleared my throat.

"Hate to break up the lovefest, boys, but we've got a battle to finish!" I called, laughing when Leon pushed Lucky (gently) to the passenger seat.

By now, Nibbles had already taken down one of the Beckles, but he'd been injured by the other two in the process. As one of them lunged at the smaller vivosaur, jaws open and ready to strike, it suddenly disappeared in a bright flash of light as it was struck down by the beak of a flying vivosaur on its side. That left only one.

As Nibbles and Ptera faced off against the last Beckles, it roared, charging at Ptera, who had weaker defense than Nibbles did. When it got close, however, Ptera flew upward and flapped his wings, creating a twister that carried the Beckles with it. With the Air-type carnivore immobilized, Nibbles ran forward, leaping into the air and bringing his front claws down on its head, followed by a backflip kick that sent it back into the air. Ptera shrieked, flying in a flip before seeming to fly straight through his opponent as it followed the rest of its pack in a bright flash of light. We had won.

"Th-They're so strong!" one of the lackeys stuttered as the three backed away from us.

"Not even our REAL vivosaurs were enough to stop 'em!" the other cried in terror.

"Come on, boys!" the leader yelled, "Let's make like my pants and SPLIT!" And with that, they took off. We all laughed as I reported in.

"They're headed your way, Sean!"

"Roger that, Tria!" he replied, "I take it you got Lucky back?"

"Right here, sir!" Lucky called through Leon's radio, "I was so scared! I don't know what I would've done if they hadn't come for me!" I noticed his arms were back around Leon's torso, much to the latter's chagrin.

"Well, we're just glad you're safe. Your parents are waiting here for ya!" Sean told him, laughing at the look on Leon's face.

"Well, we'd better get you back to them." Leon said, turning his Turf Shredder around and shredding the turf of Mt. Dinomore as he sped down the mountain. I laughed as Nibbles hopped into my Digger's Rig after transforming back into his normal form, and drove after the purple Bone Buggy.

When we got back to the Fossil Park, we were met by a couple, who I assumed were Lucky's parents, along with the sight of the three kidnappers being loaded into a police car. I smirked triumphantly as Nibbles purred with pride. After we handed Lucky over to his parents (and pried him off of Leon), we headed up to Sean's office to report in. Once we were in the elevator, Leon groaned.

"Ugh…I thought I'd never get that kid off me." he moaned, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, "I'm telling ya, Tria, that kid's got a death grip. He was also givin' me this really creepy look."

"He idolizes you." I said, standing across from the other Warden and mimicking his posture, "You were beaten right before his eyes, but you got right back up and took on those same thugs to save the day. You're his hero."

Leon blushed at the idea of being someone's hero. "I didn't do anything. You were the one who snapped me out of my funk. If anything, he should be idolizing you."

I laughed, "Oh, come on, Leon! Give yourself some credit, will ya?" I shook my head, looking at him. "You were being put under a lot of pressure to do something you were afraid of, and you were beaten up because of that fear. You then opened up to someone you've only known a few days, and managed to overcome your fear and save the day!"

I held my arms out when I finished my explanation. Leon stared at me in shock before smiling and shaking his head.

"Well, when you put it that way…" he said, chuckling. Nibbles sighed.

"Duuuude! You guys totally KILLED IT!" was how Sean greeted us when we entered his office, "It's a shame people have to be so unrighteous in a sweet park like this, ya know?" He then shrugged. "But I guess, like, there's evil lurking around every corner in this old world."

I nodded sadly, although only Nibbles noticed the sorrow in the motion of my head. If only they knew what evil truly is.

Sean continued, "Anyway, now Fossil Park America can be totally chill again, thanks to you!"

"Thank you, sir." I said humbly as I noticed my Warden rank rise.

"Thanks, Chief." Leon said more casually.

"And Tria…" Sean said, looking at me directly, "Becks and I are, like, totally impressed with your performance."

"We thought that getting Leon to work with others was an impossible task." Becky elaborated, "And yet, you not only got him to work with you on this mission, but you also got him to admit his mistake AND apologize! That's absolutely incredible!"

"Hey!" Leon protested weakly, "I'm not that difficult…"

"Yes you are!" Sean and Becky both yelled at once.

"Aw, give him a break, guys." I said calmly, patting Leon's back, "I told you, I have a talent for getting through to people."

"I'll say." Leon muttered. Nibbles growled the same thing.

"Yeah, so…" Sean said, "I think you two are more than ready for me to open up the Goldrush Canyon Challenge Routes."

Leon and I looked at each other in confusion. "Challenge Routes?"

Sean growled, putting his fingers to his temples. "Oh, man! I totally spaced on telling you about Challenge Routes, didn't I?" Becky rolled her eyes at her brother's forgetfulness.

Sean continued, "If you cruise through dig sites, you can find areas sealed off with, like, huge gates."

I nodded. I had noticed those while touring through the dig site with Sean and Becky. Leon was nodding as well.

"The areas behind those are called Challenge Routes. You can find some mondo-rare fossils in there."

"Cool!" I exclaimed.

"I was wondering what those were." Leon admitted.

"However," Sean continued, his tone turning to one of annoyance, "There are also these bogus rogue vivosaurs called Fossil Eaters. Those guys aren't just mean- they sometimes destroy fossils just for kicks! That's why we gotta have these gates. And we only open up the gates to folks who prove they can handle it." He then grinned, showing off his gleaming teeth, and gave us a thumbs-up. "Got it?"

"Got it!" Leon and I answered in unison.

"Groovy." Sean said happily.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Becky exclaimed, "The Captain called. He wants you back in Fossil Park Asia so you don't miss dinner again."

"Of course." I said as I saluted the senior Warden.

"I'm impressed, Tria." Sean said to me, "Things got pretty heavy, but you nailed every trick! Next time we need help, I'm totally calling you!"

"I second that." Leon added. I blushed at the praise.

"Thank you." I said, bowing to them. I then turned to leave, with Leon following me.

"Tria, wait!" Leon called after me as I headed for the World Gate. I turned back to face him. He was blushing.

"Look, I'm not good at this kind of thing, but…" he said nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Thanks for the help. If not for you, those perps woulda mopped the floor with me."

"Nonsense." I said, smiling at him, "I'm sure you would've found a way to defeat them."

Leon shook his head. "No. I used to think Fossil Battles were all about individual strength, you know? But now I see that's not all there is." He then looked around, as if worried that someone might overhear, before asking hastily, "Anyway, what do you say you and me become Paleo Pals?" He then stuttered, "I mean…you know…if you want."

My face almost split from the grin that spread across it. Unable to contain my joy, I jumped on the taller male, embracing him. "Of course! I'd love to!"

Leon stiffened, but then he relaxed and returned my embrace. "Nice." he said, a smile coloring his tone. Once we registered each other, Leon smiled at me. "You can always count on me, partner. Just say the word, and I'm there! Catch you on the flip side." he said before heading off toward his room.

I made to enter the World Gate, but I was stopped again.

"Oh, there you are!" the familiar voice of Lucky called to me. I turned to see the young boy bouncing over to me.

"You guys really pulled me out of a tight spot back there. Thanks again!"

"No problem, kiddo!" I said cheerfully, ruffling his dark red hair. Lucky laughed, looking up at me with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry if I sounded a little full of myself when we first met. It's just…well, as long as I can remember, everyone's been making a big deal out of my psychic powers. I guess I kind let it go to my head."

"Don't worry about it, Lucky." I said, my tone understanding, "It happens to the best of us."

"Even you?" Lucky asked me.

"Even me." I confirmed, nodding my head. Nibbles snorted in agreement.

"Well, I've thought about it, and I decided I want to be treated like a normal kid from now on!" Lucky told me, "All this fame-and-fortune stuff just causes trouble in the end."

I smiled at him. "That's very mature of you, Lucky." I praised him. He grinned and looked up at me hopefully.

"By the way, Tria." he said, looking up at me with puppy-dog eyes, "I can't drive yet, so I don't have my own Bone Buggy, but I was wondering if you wanted to be my Paleo Pal? I could ride with you and battle with my Ajka!"

"Of course!" I replied, "I'd be delighted to be your Paleo Pal!"

"Yay!" Lucky cried, hugging me around the torso, "Thank you, Tria!" He then pulled back and looked at the floor with his hands behind his back. "To be honest, my psychic abilities aren't all that powerful. But if I'm with you, I might be able to point out the fossils that don't show up on your sonar. So that's cool, huh?"

"You know it." I said, smiling.

"Oh, but don't tell anyone about that, okay? I don't want to disappoint my fans." Lucky requested.

"My lips are sealed." I swore to him, pantomiming zipping my mouth shut.

"Thanks, Tria!" he said happily. His face then took on a hesitant look, as if he was debating what to say next.

"Something wrong, Lucky?" I asked.

"I was thinking of asking Leon to be my Paleo Pal. He's my hero now!" Lucky said, bouncing excitedly, "But I don't think he likes me, so I don't know if I should…"

"Go for it!" I told him, smiling encouragingly, "I just registered him as my Paleo Pal, so knowing that you're my Paleo Pal too might warm him up to the idea."

"Really?" Lucky asked, his optimism returning.

"Yep!" I said, writing on a piece of paper and handing it to him, "Here's my phone number. Share it with Leon, and you can call me to tell me how the meeting went. Or you can have Leon call me, and you two can talk to me together."

"Okay!" Lucky took the piece of paper and bounced around excitedly, "Where is he?"

I pointed in the direction of Leon's room, and Lucky took off in that direction. I shook my head, a smile on my face as I watched him go.

" _Do you really think the purple one can handle the little one's energy?_ " Nibbles asked me as we both headed through the World Gate.

"He'd better get used to it." I answered, "It's hard to stay isolated when you're a Warden."

" _I can tell._ " he growled in reply.

When I came out of the World Gate, I was met with my friends there. We gathered at the table to eat dinner, with me telling the group about my mission in America. I didn't tell them about Leon's breakdown, but I did tell them that I had convinced him to be my Paleo Pal (Nate was as astonished as Sean and Becky were). Halfway through dinner, I got a call from Leon and Lucky. Apparently, Leon had accepted Lucky's offer to be Paleo Pals to get Lucky to let go of his arm. We chatted for the rest of dinner, with Nate, Penny, and Roland joining in for a six-way chat. Afterward, we said our goodbyes and went to bed, getting ready for another day of life with the Wardens.


	9. The European Branch

It was a week before my next assignment. In that week, I took part in some tournaments and upgraded my Warden license, developing a fanbase along the way. I also took on the Challenge Routes with Leon, Lucky, and one of my friends from Fossil Park Asia (after a little squabble about who would accompany us, they decided to take turns). Leon was against the idea at first, claiming that he and I could take on anything our own, but I eventually talked him into it. What if he had a mission he couldn't handle alone, but I was busy? It all worked out in the end, and I even got a new addition to my team: a Stego. She was a bit lazy, but after some encouragement from me, Nibbles, and Gorgo, she proved to be a valuable ally.

During breakfast, a week after my mission in America, I got a call from Captain Stryker, who ordered me to his office once I had finished eating. I finished quickly, excited about another assignment. I had been getting bored. I put my dishes in the sink and rushed out the door, ignoring the murmurs from my friends about how lucky I was to get special assignments straight from the Captain.

"Good morning, Tria." Stryker greeted me, "I trust you had a restful week?"

I laughed, "That's one word for it."

He laughed as well, "I thought so. You never struck me as one who likes to relax for too long."

"Guilty as charged." I replied.

Stryker nodded. "Well, as for why I called you here." I perked up. "Last week, you met with the American Wardens, gaining their respect almost immediately. This week, I want you to see if you can do the same thing with the European Wardens."

"I shall do my best, sir!" I said, eager to get started, "That's where Dahlia is stationed, right?"

"Correct." Stryker replied, "Now go introduce yourself to the European leader and check on Dahlia."

My expression became one of confusion. "Check on Dahlia? Why can't you just ask the European leader about her directly?"

"Because she's apparently gone AWOL." Stryker said gravely, "She almost never reports in for missions, and no one knows her whereabouts during the day OR night."

"I see." I said worriedly, "I hope she's all right."

"That's one of the reasons I'm sending you, in addition to having you meet with the Wardens stationed there. Now go. They're expecting you."

"Yes sir!" I saluted, leaving his office with Nibbles in tow.

"I wonder what's happened to Dahlia." I said to myself in the elevator.

" _From what you've told me, it likely has something to do with the wheeled things humans use to get around._ " Nibbles said. His time around everyone during the previous week didn't completely alleviate his hatred of humans, but it did seem to have lessened it. My Gorgo was starting to calm down, too.

"You mean the Bone Buggies?" I said, tapping my chin thoughtfully as I stepped through the World Gate, "That does sound plausible."

The European Fossil Center looked nothing like the Fossil Centers in Asia or America. For one thing, it was a lot bigger. The desks of the staff weren't crammed together like they were in the other Centers (there were also fewer of them), and there was a large red carpet in the center of the room, leading to a door that I assumed led to the leader's office.

"Welcome!" a cheerful female voice rang out in the large room. I turned to see a woman dressed as a witch approaching us. She had curly lavender hair and a dark purple witch's hat with a matching robe. She was also holding a wand with a pink heart-shaped gem at the end.

"You're Tria, right?" she asked, continuing without waiting for me to answer, "My fortune-telling ability accurately predicted you were coming! I do so love when that happens!"

"Fortune-telling?" I muttered, looking at Nibbles in confusion. He just shook his head, growling low in his throat. "I thought Captain Stryker told you we were coming."

The woman didn't seem to hear me. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Violet, and I'm one of the staff members here at Fossil Park Europe. Personally, I think it's the finest of all the Fossil Parks. It's been meticulously crafted to look just like classical Europe!"

"It is really nice." I said, looking around the Fossil Center.

"I knew you'd agree!" Violet said happily, "Anyway, let me show you around. I PREDICT you'll love it! Ha ha ha!...Little fortune-teller joke there." She then started to walk out of the Fossil Center, but I called out to her.

"Um…excuse me, Violet." I said, gaining her attention, "I was ordered to introduce myself to the leader here, so could you show me to where the leader is?"

"Oh my! I had totally forgotten about that!" she exclaimed, heading for the door in the center of the room, "Come on. I'll introduce you to Drake. Follow me!" And with that, we entered the room at the end of the red carpet.

Unlike the other two Fossil Parks, this Fossil Center didn't have an elevator. Instead, the door opened and led us directly into an office. The office had dark red wallpaper and a dark gray sofa against the left wall. In the center of the room was a desk, and sitting behind that desk was…a viking.

"Hello, Drake! This is the new Warden the Captain told us about." Violet said to the viking.

The viking looked up at me. He had light orange hair that flowed from under a blue horned helmet. He was also wearing a leather coat with a fur collar. His dark blue eyes held a strangely fearful look that stood in stark contrast with the rest of his appearance. My skepticism turned to shock when I heard him speak.

"Oh!" he gasped, his voice surprisingly quiet and…timid, "Um…hello. I'm Drake. I'm the leader of the European Branch. Um, I guess. Not sure how that happened…"

An awkward silence fell over the room as Drake stopped talking and I scrambled for what to say in response. Luckily, Violet came to my rescue.

"Aw, don't mind Drake. He's pretty shy. But all that nervousness melts away when he's in the heat of battle!" she assured me, glancing at Drake, who flinched, "Anyway, I suppose you'll see that for yourself eventually."

"If you say so…" I said, slightly suspicious about that claim. Still, I could sense that this nervousness wasn't his true self, so I didn't argue. I looked back at Drake when he spoke up again.

"Yeah, so, um…I think we should have these two learn more about Fossil Park Europe." he stuttered, looking at me nervously, "I mean, if that's okay…"

"Uh…sure!" I agreed, putting on my friendliest smile. Violet seemed to agree.

"I KNEW you'd say that!...Because I'm psychic! Get it?" When she didn't get a response, she sighed, "Anyway, sure. What do you want 'em to do? We should probably send them out to a dig site or something, right?" When Drake nodded shyly, she continued her suggestions, "How about Yodel Hills?"

Drake nodded again. "O-Okay…"

Violet smiled. "Great! It's settled, then!" She then turned back to me. "I'll take you on a tour through Yodel Hills. Yodel Hills is great, if I do say so myself! You'll love it!" She then dragged me out of Drake's office, toward the Garage.

"Um…excuse me? Violet?" I asked her as we prepared our Bone Buggies.

"Hm?" Violet hummed in acknowledgement.

"What's the situation with Dahlia?" I asked her, looking at her seriously. She returned my gaze, her face losing its joyful expression.

"She only reports in on occasion, and disappears the rest of the time. She seems happy when she does report in, but it still makes it difficult to rely on her for anything. Even the simplest missions take her hours. She's only been here for a little over a week, so we're still waiting to see what happens before actively pursuing her." she explained.

"I see." I muttered, driving through the portal after Violet, "The Captain had ordered me to check on her, but I need to find her first."

"Well, maybe you'll see her in Yodel Hills!" Violet suggested suddenly, her optimism returning as we drove around the stone roads of Yodel Hills, "Come on! Relax a bit and enjoy the beauties of Fossil Park Europe!"

I reluctantly agreed, diving around with Violet. I often caught her practicing her psychic abilities on my excavations (she had an accuracy rate of about 50%), but I didn't comment. We battled the rogues together, except for a battle with a Carchar, a large Earth-type carnivore. At his insistence, I allowed Gorgo to battle it himself, and he, in return, let me use my Support Shots to help him. After driving around for about an hour, Violet got a message on her radio from Drake, calling both of us back to his office. Apparently, there was a problem they needed my help with. On our way back, I looked around for the red Bone Buggy I remembered Dahlia having. I didn't see her, and I was getting worried. However, on our way back, I couldn't help but notice a group of three Bone Buggies speeding down the road further into the dig site, not even slowing down for rogue vivosaurs, and the memory of Dahlia rose to the front of my mind as I followed Violet back to the Fossil Center.


	10. Rein in the Queen of Speed

When Violet and I re-entered Drake's office, he was looking at something on his computer screen, a mixture of concern and frustration present in his features.

"We're baaaaaaack!" Violet sang as she waltzed into the room. I followed at a more professional pace. I was more aware of the authority Drake held than Violet seemed to be.

"Um…" Drake mumbled nervously, glancing back at the computer screen before sinking a bit further behind his desk, "I'm sorry to interrupt your tour, but…I just got a report that the Speed Fiends have shown up again."

My eyes widened. "The Speed Fiends?!"

Violet gripped her wand, growling, "Oooo. I HATE those guys! They cruise around the park in their Bone Buggies like they own the place, driving at terribly unsafe speeds!"

"Cruising at unsafe speeds…" I thought as Drake nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. Anyway, I thought that maybe Tria…" he said, turning to look at me, "Might be able to do something about it?"

"Me?" I asked.

"Really? You're going to throw the new Warden right into the fire like that?" Violet asked incredulously.

Drake, in the face of his psychic assistant's incredulity, hid further under the desk and stuttered, "Um, well, everyone is busy, and I…I'm busy, too…and stuff…"

Violet sighed. "Oh well. What can you do, eh, Tria? Looks like you and me…" She then held her wand to her chest as she looked at me apologetically. "Will NOT be working together on this one, because I'm also swamped. So we'll be leaving things in you capable hands."

Drake peeked out from under his desk. "Can we…count on you, Tria? P-Please?"

"No problem!" I said, smiling confidently as I saluted the timid viking, "Just leave everything to me!"

"Oh! That's…" Drake sat up in his chair again, a smile tugging at his lips before he looked down again, "Um…Yeah. That's great. Thanks. The Speed Fiends can be found at the Yodel Hills dig site." He then looked at me again before quickly looking away. "I'm…counting on you."

"Yes sir!" I said, saluting once more, "I won't let you down!" I then ran out of the office, leaving Drake and Violet nearly speechless at my enthusiasm.

As I ran to the Garage, Nibbles growled to me, " _Are you thinking what I'm thinking?_ "

"Yeah. The Speed Fiends sound like just the kind of group Dahlia would join. If I can catch them…"

" _You'll catch the red one._ " Nibbles finished for me.

"Exactly." I said as we jumped into my Digger's Rig and sped off in the direction of the group I had seen on my way back to the Fossil Center. Soon, I arrived at the clearing where Gorgo had fought the Carchar. The Carchar was gone, chased off by the three large Bone Buggies racing around the clearing. They were painted light purple and had spikes on their roofs. They were being driven around wildly in every direction, with no noticeable sign of organization. I heard the drivers screaming over the radio.

"Wooooo-hoooooo!" one yelled, "There's nothing that can stop us!"

"The squeal of the tires! The roar of the engine! I could do this forever!" another agreed whole-heartedly. That's when I drove into the clearing.

"Hold up, Fiends!" the third member yelled, causing the others to stop, "There's a Warden on our tail!"

The three vehicles drove up to me.

"Crud! How'd the law get here so fast?!" one of them cried unhappily.

"You're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Warden!" another warned me.

"That's right!" the third yelled, "You'd better turn around and putter off, if you know what's good for ya!"

"Not gonna happen!" I stood fast, preparing my attack. All of the voices were older males, none of them sounding even remotely like Dahlia. "You three are causing trouble for the residents of this Fossil Park, and I'm gonna put a stop to it!"

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" the Fiend in the slightly-darker Bone Buggy groaned, "You really think you can win against us?!"

"Three against one? This'll be a snap!" another laughed.

"Come on, boys!" the leader yelled, "Let's send this Warden packing!"

They sent out their vivosaurs: Hypsi US, Thalasso, and Cryo. Three water types. I grinned, getting out of my Bone Buggy and standing on the roof, holding three Dino Gears in my right hand.

"You're forgetting!" I yelled to the Speed Fiends, "That most Wardens have more than one vivosaur!"

I then threw the three Dino Gears into the clearing. They all flashed, releasing the vivosaurs within: the Stego from the Goldrush Canyon Challenge Routes, the Thalasso I had excavated with Sean and Becky, and the newest addition to my team, Diplo. The three vivosaurs roared at their opponents, their combined intimidation unnerving the opposing team.

"That's impossible!" the leader bellowed indignantly, "You can't use three vivosaurs at once!"

"Why not?" I asked confidently, "All of these vivosaurs are mine! I excavated, revived, and trained all of them! If your gang can use three, then so can I!"

"Whatever!" another yelled back, "We'll see how well you battle while controlling so many vivosaurs at once! You just dug your own grave, Warden!"

"We'll see about that!" I called, my confidence reassuring my team. My gaze then hardened as I entered my merciless battle mentality. My vivosaurs, sensing this, raised their heads and howled. And so the battle began.

As the two Thalassos collided in the air, the Cryo, its teeth frozen over, tried to bite at Diplo's neck. The sauropod raised his neck out of reach, and the Hypsi US, seeing its chance, jump-kicked the Earth-type vivosaur, sending him flying. As he was lying on the ground, shaking off the previous blow, the two smaller vivosaurs jumped again, ready to tear him apart. My face and voice remained calm.

"Diplo." I said, "Rolling Whip."

The silver sauropod narrowed his violet eyes at his enemies and, without even getting up, spun around, catching the smaller vivosaurs with his tail and sending them flying. Hypsi US, being delicately built, took heavy damage and struggled to stand. The Cryo managed to get to its feet, only to be knocked back down as it was hit by the Thalasso from its team. My Thalasso landed on Diplo's back, helping him to his feet. With my opponents on the ground, I saw my chance.

"Stego." I said in a commanding tone. The Air-type herbivore, who had been charging energy at the back, looked up at me. "Blade Barrage."

The large herbivore grinned, my battle-fueled bloodlust twisting her normally-docile nature. She gathered her energy over her backplates, causing them to glow, and then fired the energy into the air, raining sharpened blades of wind onto my opponents' vivosaurs. The weakened team, unable to withstand the coordinated onslaught, disappeared in a flash of light, returning to their speechless fighters.

"I-Impossible…" one of the Fiends stuttered, his fear clear even through the radio, "The Warden mowed us down!"

"Come on, boys!" the leader commanded, "Throw it in reverse, and let's get outta here!"

"Better not let it go to your head, Warden!" the third male told me, "When Big Mama finds out what happened, she's gonna turn you into a 15-car pileup!"

"Yeah!" the leader agreed, "And then she's gonna take you to the junkyard and…uh…strip out your transmission!"

"Oh, shut up, Locke." another groaned as they raced off toward the Fossil Park.

"Big Mama?" I asked, looking at Nibbles in confusion before contacting Drake.

"Oh…Tria. Um…What's up?" he answered quietly. I was getting used to his timidity.

"Hi, Drake. I just drove the Speed Fiends out of the dig site." I reported.

"I see. Um…good work, Tria." he replied, sounding a little bit happier.

"I guess, but something's bothering me." I continued, "Before leaving, they mentioned someone called 'Big Mama'. Do you know who that is?"

At the mention of 'Big Mama', Drake flinched more noticeably than usual. "Oh…I forgot to mention that…sorry." he said, sounding truly remorseful, "The Speed Fiends are led by a mysterious figure called Big Mama. We've caught sight of her on occasion, but she was too fast to actually identify, much less capture."

"Gotcha." I said, speeding toward the Park as fast as I (safely) could, "The Speed Fiends that I ran into were cowards. They talk big, but they didn't have the strength to back it up, and ran crying, straight to Big Mama. I'll hunt them down and bring them to you!"

"Th-Thank you, Tria." Drake said, sounding a bit more relaxed now, "I knew I could…count on you."

"It's my pleasure, sir." I said, smiling as I hung up.

Once I returned to the Fossil Park, I saw the gang's vehicles in the Garage, along with a familiar-looking red-and-white Speed Demon. As I got out and walked toward the Fossil Center, three large, burly men approached me. They were wearing pink-and-purple jackets and hoods, similar to the color of their Bone Buggies. I smirked at them as they spoke.

"Ha! Thought you could get away, did ya?" one of them growled at me. Nibbles growled back.

"Nope." I said, still smirking, "Actually, I'm glad you boys decided to show yourselves. Saves me the trouble of hunting for ya."

"Don't play dumb with us!" another yelled at me, "We're better at it than you are!"

"I can see that." I said, chuckling. Nibbles snorted.

The man in the middle snarled and pushed the other two aside. "Enough! Drop the script! She knows who we are!" He then turned to me, just in time to catch me rolling my eyes, which only increased his rage. "We're the Speed Fiends you left in the dust back there!"

"Technically, you drove off first." I corrected him, "I chased after you."

The man in the middle turned bright red. "ENOUGH! You got lucky last time, but that's about to change! We brought a special friend to show you the true meaning of pain!" The three then stepped aside as he called, "All yours, Big Mama!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." a familiar female voice groaned, frustrated at her lackeys' impatience.

"I thought it might be you." I said to the girl who approached me. There was no mistaking the bright red hair that fell to her shoulders, the white jacket with the checkered pattern around her collar, the light orange skirt, or the dark orange eyes that seemed to gleam with passion. Said gleaming eyes widened at the sight of me.

"Tria?!" Dahlia exclaimed, clearly shocked to see me in Europe.

"Hello, Dahlia." I replied, my voice cold with disapproval.

"Holy snaps! I haven't seen you in forever!" she yelled happily, hugging me.

"It's been just over a week." I said, not returning her embrace. I was not pleased with her.

"I heard you're working for the Captain himself these days! That's awesome, Tria!" Dahlia continued, unabashed. Her eyes then widened, as if in remembrance, as she looked at my left arm. "Hey! Your arm isn't bandaged anymore!"

"Yeah." I said, pulling up my sleeve to reveal the line that still remained from Gorgo's attack, "The bandages were removed at the end of last week. My arm is fully functional again."

"That's wonderful, Tria!" Dahlia said happily, "I was so worried when I saw you on that stretcher! But now here you are, fit as ever!" She wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye, and my heart softened slightly. Slightly.

"Anyway…" she said, recovering quickly, "What are you doing here in Europe?"

My heart hardened again. "To meet the European Wardens." I answered. Dahlia looked about to reply, but one of her lackeys cut in.

"You know this person, Big Mama?" he asked, glancing between me and her nervously.

"Sure I do!" Dahlia said, "Ol' Tria here graduated from the same class of Wardens as I did. Although…" She glanced at me. "Her test was much more dangerous than mine."

The lackeys didn't seem to hear the last part.

"B-Big Mama!" one of them cried, "YOU'RE a Warden?!"

Dahlia scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "Er, did I not mention that? It's true, I work right here in the European Branch."

"When you show up." I growled low in my throat. Nibbles growled in agreement.

Dahlia then turned back to me, her tone becoming serious. "Look, Tria. Let me just cut straight to the chase, all right? My racing buddies here said they suffered some kind of humiliating defeat at your hands. Any idea what they're talking about?"

"Oh, do I ever…" I said, my cold tone remaining, "Although the humiliation came more from their own cowardice than anything I did. I have been given by Drake the task of finding and disbanding the Speed Fiends, and that's what I plan to do."

"Hmm…" Dahlia hummed, "So they're cracking down on the Speed Fiends, huh?"

"That's right." I replied, "And I shall carry out my orders. That is my duty as a Warden."

Dahlia clenched her fists, trembling with rage. "I gotta say, that is completely unfair!" she cried indignantly, "I mean, it's not like we hurt anyone! We just get in our Bone Buggies and drive wherever we want as fast as possible!"

"Driving off other people and vivosaurs in the process." I interjected.

"What?" she asked, looking at me in confusion, "What do you mean? We don't drive anyone away!"

"Is that so?" I asked, rapidly losing patience. I spun on my heel and, spotting a young man standing near the shop, strolled over to him.

"Hey there." I said casually, "Wanna go to Yodel Hills with me? I hear it's a beautiful site."

The man turned to me in shock, his eyes wide and terrified. "Are you nuts?! Haven't you heard? This gang called the Speed Fiends have been seen driving around there! They're really reckless! They almost ran a friend of mine off the road!" He then looked around, trembling. "First chance I get, I'm outta here! I'm gonna go back to America!" He then ran into the Fossil Center. I returned to Dahlia and her gang.

"Sure." I said sarcastically, "You don't drive anyone away."

Dahlia looked back toward where the man had fled, a look of guilt and shame on her face. Her expression then became conflicted as she looked at the ground, her fists clenching so hard they turned white.

"Big Mama?" one of the men asked, hesitantly reaching out to her. He then retracted his hand as she spontaneously turned on me, this time glaring with a mix of determination and betrayal.

"Yeah? Well too bad!" she growled at me, "I've driven too far down this road to turn back now! I'm addicted, I tells ya! To the roar of the engine! To the wind in my hair! To the SPEED!"

Her lackeys cheered, "Yeah! You tell 'er, Big Mama!"

Dahlia ignored them. "So if you wanna stop our racing, you'll have to put your pedal where your mettle is! You'll have to beat me in a Time Attack!"

"What?!" I exclaimed. I knew she wasn't going to back down easily, but I would have preferred a Fossil Battle.

"I'm not gonna take orders from a turtle! If you want me to stand down, you're gonna have to step up! Meet me at Yodel Hills!" Dahlia challenged me. She then stormed off, her three lackeys close behind.

I sighed, turning back to the Fossil Center. If I was going to face off against Dahlia, I needed to have the dig site evacuated so that no one would get hurt. I entered Drake's office.

"Oh! Tria!" he said, his surprise slightly increasing the volume of his voice, "What's…um…up?"

"I need you to make an announcement. We need to get everyone out of Yodel Hills." I told him, my tone serious.

Drake's eyes widened and he hid under his desk. "O-Oh…okay…what's going on?"

"I've encountered Big Mama, and she challenged me to a Time Attack. If I win, she will disband the Speed Fiends. I need to get everyone else out of harm's way." I told him. I didn't have the heart to tell him who Big Mama was.

"Oh. I see. I'll…get on that." Drake said, typing something on his computer, "It's…done. You can buy new Bone Buggy parts at the Garage. Good luck."

"Thank you, sir." I said, saluting and leaving his office.

" _How are you going to do this?_ " Nibbles asked me as I upgraded my Bone Buggy's engine and tires, " _She was the fastest human in your class, so you've told me._ "

"True." I replied, "But she's also reckless. I timed her once without her knowledge, and she wasn't actually that much faster than the rest of us. She likes driving so much she subconsciously picks routes that take longer. If I can find the most efficient route, I just might have a chance."

" _If you say so._ " Nibbles growled skeptically, climbing into my improved Digger's Rig after me. We then drove through the portal, entering Yodel Hills.

The entire dig site had been turned into a race track. One of the Challenge Routes had been opened, and the whole track was lined with buffers. There wasn't a single vivosaur to be seen. I drove up to the red-and-white Speed Demon, knowing for certain who it belonged to.

"There you are, Tria!" Dahlia greeted me through the radio, "Let's go over the rules real quick…"

"Wow." I thought, "She has no regard for laws, but she does have rules for racing."

"Whoever gets to the finish line in the least amount of time is the winner. That's it!"

"I stand corrected."

"I'm going first!" she called, moving up to the starting line. She then pulled the indigo sunglasses she always wore on her head over her eyes, her voice becoming crazier and more chaotic. "Now it's time for some FUN!"

And with that, she was off. I'll give her credit, she is FAST! She sped around the turns, usually missing the road and hitting some of the buffers. They didn't so much as faze her.

"WOOOOO!" she cried, her voice filled with pure joy as she crossed the finish line. A time appeared on my screen.

02:06:00

"YES! I'm the BEST!" Dahlia yelled through the radio.

"That was fast…" I muttered, clenching my teeth. Dahlia must have heard me, because she replied.

"Yeah. I went into total gearhead mode on my Bone Buggy for this race!" she told me, giggling excitedly, "Customized everything, right down to the air freshener! Hee hee! So fun!"

I allowed myself a small smile. I missed Dahlia. She was able to brighten any situation, no matter how grim. That smile disappeared when she spoke again.

"All right, Tria. Time to see what you can bring to the table." she said, her gaze hardening as she glared challengingly, "Do you think you can make me stand down?"

"I have to!" I told her, glaring at the starting line, "My pride as a Warden is riding on it!"

I closed my eyes, not hearing her reply as I cleared my mind. I forgot about everything, from the long racing track to the buffers to the obstacles, even forgetting the girl who had once been my friend. All I remembered was that I had a duty as a Warden, and I would complete my orders. That was my role.

As serenity fell over me, I opened my eyes again, not a single emotion showing through. I drove up to the starting line, barely noticing the lights that counted down for me. Then, as the green from the lights entered my vision, I floored the accelerator, sending my Digger's Rig into its top speed. I focused on the track, making sure not to leave it. I noticed a ramp up ahead and hit it, launching myself into the air and landing back on the track past the obstacles the ramp was hiding. I drifted around the turns, hitting speed boosts as I went. When I crossed the finish line, my mind was still blank. Nibbles had to gently bite me before I noticed my time on the screen.

01:32:00

My eyes widened as I snapped out of my trance. I had won! I then looked at Dahlia's Speed Demon, waiting for her reaction.

"I…I lost…" she stuttered, staring at my time in disbelief, "Th-There's no way…"

She then turned her Speed Demon around and sped back toward the Fossil Park. I took off after her.

When I got back, she was glaring at the ground, trembling.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN?! I LOST?!" she screamed, scaring her lackeys. She turned on me as I approached, "How did you beat me?! How is that even POSSIBLE?!"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry I upset you, Dahlia." I said sincerely, "But it's my duty as a Warden to protect these parks, and that's what I intend to do." I looked down as well, my voice low and sorrowful, "Even if that means turning on my friends."

Dahlia lurched back in surprise, her rage morphing into an unreadable expression.

"You…" she muttered, her tone even more disbelieving than when she had seen my time on our race, "You…still see me as a friend, Tria?"

I looked back up at Dahlia, tears entering my eyes. "Of course, Dahlia. You were so nice to me during the entrance exam. You always managed to make me smile, even when I was in the hospital and could barely move my arm." I smiled gently, letting my previous anger at her irresponsible actions melt away in the face of the fond memories we shared, as few as they were. "For that, I will always consider you my friend, no matter what."

Dahlia just stared at me, her eyes clouded with tears. "Y-You…you really mean that, Tria?"

"I never lie, Dahlia." I told her, "I may not approve of your actions, but I don't hate you for them."

Dahlia sniffled, overwhelmed by my ability to forgive her, and practically jumped on me, holding me in a tight embrace, which I returned without hesitation.

"Oh, Tria!" she sobbed, clutching the back of my shirt, "Thank you! I'm so glad I didn't lose you as a friend! I don't think I could deal with that!"

"Don't cry, Dahlia." I whispered gently, a tear escaping my eye, "I'm still here for you. I'll always be here for you."

Dahlia sniffled again as she pulled away, wiping her eyes as she nodded to me. "Well, a promise is a promise." she said, her relief that I was still her friend overshadowing her disappointment at losing, "I said I'd stop burning rubber, and I will."

"WHAT?!" her three lackeys exclaimed, "No, Big Mama! What'll we do without you?!"

Dahlia turned back to the men, shrugging her shoulders. "I dunno. I guess the Speed Fiends will just have to go their separate ways."

"Nooooooo!" one of the men (Locke, if I remember correctly) cried.

"Yeeeeeees!" Dahlia yelled back, her tone mimicking his, "In fact, if I catch you yahoos spinning your wheels, I'll run you off the road!" She glanced at me. "I'm a Warden for good now! So you better dust off your resumes and find some new jobs!"

"Unless, of course, you'd rather face the leader of this Fossil Park." I added, standing next to Dahlia and crossing my arms. Nibbles snarled sadistically.

"Eeek!" the guys cried, preparing to run.

"Wait!" Locke called his buddies back. He faced Dahlia. "Big Mama! We wanna keep riding with you!"

"Yeah!" another cried, "We're nothing without you!"

Dahlia shook her head exasperatedly. "You're a bunch of wimps is what you are! Sheesh!" She then grinned again. "Buuut, if you wanna keep me around that badly, you'll have to beat me first!"

"Oh no…" I thought, facepalming. Nibbles shook his head, sighing.

"In that case," one of the men said, grinning as well, "How about a Fossil Battle?"

"Huh?" Dahlia lurched backward, a mixture of anger and hesitation on her face.

"Yeah!" another agreed, "Big Mama may be faster than lightning on the road, but her battle skills are more like molasses! We'll never beat her in a race, but we might stand a chance in a fight!"

"What?!" Dahlia exclaimed, her face reddening with rage and embarrassment, "How dare you?!" She then glanced at me and saw the look I was giving her. "And even if you do challenge me, Tria will have my back!"

"That's right." I said confidently, "And if you'll recall, I whooped all three of your behinds on my own."

"Perhaps…" one of the men said, "But our battle will be in the Stadium. You won't win so easily there!"

"And since there are three of us, and only two of you…" Locke finished, "You're on!"

Dahlia growled while her former lackeys cheered.

"For this battle, instead of the Speed Fiends…" one of them suggested as the group tore off their pink-and-purple outfits, revealing black-and-red ones, "We'll be the Killer Fiends!"

"Yeah! We're gonna bring our very best vivosaurs to this fight!"

"Seriously?" Dahlia snarled, "Killer Fiends? That's the dumbest name I've ever heard!"

"Like the Speed Fiends was much better…" I muttered to Nibbles, who snorted in agreement.

"Whatever!" Locke yelled, "We'll settle this in the Fossil Stadium!"

They then marched off, laughing. Dahlia turned to me, sighing.

"What are we gonna do, Tria?" she whimpered, "They outnumber us, and I'm really not good at battling…"

"Dahlia…" I said as I put my hand on her shoulder, "Who said we only have two people?"

The red head looked up at me. "Who else is there? The other Wardens here won't help without asking for details, and then they'd just report me to Leader Drake."

"You're forgetting," I explained, a sly smile on my face, "That I'm not limited to this Fossil Park." I led the gearhead to the Fossil Center, pulling out my phone as I did so, "And I have someone who knows a thing or two about the importance of secrets. Besides…" I dialed the number, putting the phone to my ear as I waited for a response.

"He could use some practice in the art of teamwork."


	11. The Power of Teamwork

I sat on a bench in the lobby of the Fossil Center, patiently awaiting the arrival of the third member of our team. I knew it'd be a few minutes, since he had to go through proper channels, but I also knew he'd never miss a chance to show off. Dahlia, unfortunately, was not known for her patience.

"Ugh!" she groaned for the fifth time, "When will he GET here?!" She was pacing back and forth, occasionally stopping in front of me. "Who are we waiting for, anyway?"

I smirked. "You'll see." I was gaining much amusement from my red-headed friend's antics. I then heard the doors to the World Gate open and stood up. "That'll be him."

Dahlia stopped pacing and looked to see me greeting the tall male I had invited. His punk attire, along with his pointy purple hair, made him unmistakable.

"Leon?!" she exclaimed.

"Dahlia?!" he exclaimed in return.

"Tria!" I yelled, stepping in between the two Wardens, "Excellent. Now we've gotten our introductions out of the way."

"Tria…" Dahlia muttered hesitantly, "You didn't tell me the friend you invited was Leon."

"You didn't tell me the friend you were helping was Dahlia." Leon added.

"Is this a problem?" I asked both of them, my hands on my hips. Nibbles sat on the bench, looking on in curious amusement.

"I'm not participating in any races." Leon snarled, glaring at the two of us.

"We're not racing, Leon." I sighed, "Dahlia and I have been challenged to a Fossil Battle by three guys, and I thought you'd make a good addition to our team." I tilted my head. "Do you disagree with my decision?"

Leon looked down, muttering, "…all right. If it's a Fossil Battle, I'm in."

"Uh, Tria…" Dahlia interjected, "You didn't take the official Warden Test, so you may not know this, but…" She looked at Leon. "This guy can't work with ANYONE!"

Leon was about to protest, but I placed a hand on his arm.

"I've heard plenty about his lack of teamwork skills." I assured her, "But don't worry; I'm working on that." I smiled as Leon looked away in embarrassment. Dahlia looked at us oddly.

"All right." Leon cleared his throat, "Will one of you explain what's going on here?"

I nodded, gesturing for Dahlia to join me. "Well, you see, Dahlia here was head of a gang called the Speed Fiends, which terrorized the people of this park."

"Hey!" Dahlia cried, interrupting me, "Why'd you tell him THAT?!"

"Don't worry, Dahlia." I told her calmly, "Leon won't tell anyone." I turned to him. "Will you, Leon?"

It seemed he was about to make some sort of snarky comment, but one look at my face reminded him that I held one of his secrets too, so he simply shook his head.

"I won't." he promised.

I nodded, continuing my explanation, "I was ordered by Drake, the leader of this Park, to put a stop to the Speed Fiends' activities, and, therefore, I confronted them."

"Actually," Dahlia said suddenly, "That part's been bugging me. How did you defeat those three all by yourself?"

"You took them all on by yourself?!" Leon exclaimed, remembering all-too-clearly what happened to him when he tried to take on three thugs at once.

I arched an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. They aren't exactly the best fighters ever." I didn't say anything about using three vivosaurs at once, glad the Fiends hadn't said anything about it.

Leon and Dahlia still thought that the feat was impressive, but they didn't say anything else, so I continued.

"Anyway, after I defeated them, they ran to Dahlia, who they call 'Big Mama', and she challenged me to a race."

Leon snickered. "Big Mama? What kind of name is that?" Dahlia elbowed his side. I ignored him.

"Amazingly, I won our race, and so she agreed to disband the Speed Fiends, but they're not willing to let her go that easily."

"So now they've challenged me and Tria to a Fossil Battle in an attempt to win me back!" Dahlia finished for me.

Leon looked between me and Dahlia, an eyebrow raised. "Is that the whole story?" he asked.

"Pretty much." I replied.

"So you gonna help or what?" Dahlia asked impatiently.

Leon crossed his arms, looking at us in thought, before smirking. "Meh. Why not? I got nothing better to do anyway."

"Awesome!" Dahlia said happily. I smiled at my team, gesturing for Nibbles to follow as we headed toward the European Fossil Stadium.

The European Fossil Stadium was modeled after the Roman Coliseum, right down to the broken walls that looked like they were going to fall apart at any moment. As we entered, Leon leaned closer to me.

"By the way," he said, "Who are you gonna use for this fight? You gonna use the little guy?"

I looked at Nibbles, who was glaring at Leon for calling him little, before shaking my head.

"Ordinarily, I would, but since this tournament has an audience, no. I'm still fuzzy on the details of Nibbles' past, so I don't want to advertise his abilities too much." I explained, turning to my little partner. "That all right with you, buddy?"

Nibbles closed his eyes and shrugged, not really caring. He wasn't angry, so there was no need for him to vent.

"Besides…" I added, pulling out the Dino Gear of the vivosaur I did intend to use, "You're not the only one here who could use some teamwork practice."

Leon looked confused for a moment before his eyes went wide and his face paled.

"A-Are you serious, Tria?" he stuttered fearfully, "You're going to use that monster?!"

"Now, Leon. Be nice." I scolded him, "I bet Dahlia thought something similar when she saw you come out of the World Gate."

Leon looked like he was ready to argue when Dahlia ran up to us.

"Ok, guys! We're signed up! Our battle is in ten minutes! We should head back!" she said, before noticing Leon's horrified face, "What's wrong, guys?"

Leon opened his mouth, but he didn't seem to be able to find the right words, so I answered for him.

"Leon's upset about my choice of vivosaur for this battle. I'm guessing he doesn't think I can control him."

"That's not it!" Leon protested, "I just don't think it can work in a team!"

"I could say the same thing about you, ya know?" I told him, my hands on my hips.

"You've worked with me before!" Leon continued to argue, sounding insulted, "The only battle I've seen that thing in was on its own, and it did nothing but rampage!"

"Only because I allowed him to." I said calmly.

"Um, guys…" Dahlia interjected, "Am I missing something?"

"Yes. Yes you are." Leon said, turning to Dahlia, "Do you remember how Tria passed the Warden Test?"

"Of course I do!" Dahlia yelled indignantly, "Do you really think I could forget seeing Tria unconscious on a stretcher with her entire arm in bandages and Roland bawling his eyes out?!"

"Do you remember how she got those injuries?" Leon asked.

"Of course!" Dahlia answered, "She was attacked by a Gorgo! What's your point?" She was getting impatient, and didn't seem to like to remember that attack's aftermath.

"Dahlia…" Leon said slowly, frustrated that she still didn't understand, "Guess what vivosaur Tria's planning to use in this battle."

Dahlia looked at Leon in confusion. Then a look of realization crossed her face, which was quickly replaced by a look of pure terror as she turned to me, her hands on my shoulders.

"Tria!" she cried, "Don't tell me you actually have a Gorgo with you!"

"Not just A Gorgo." Leon interjected, "THE Gorgo."

Dahlia looked between us, her eyes wide as saucers. "Y-You mean…?"

"That's right." I affirmed, "The Gorgo I'm using is the very same one that attacked me. I'm training him in an attempt to help him recover from the abuse he suffered at the hands of his former fighter."

Dahlia gawked at me, unable to believe her ears. I was really starting to get used to that reaction. Leon just nodded, glad that the redhead finally understood the situation.

"B-But…" Dahlia protested weakly, "You can't use the vivosaur that attacked you in battle! How can you control it?"

"It'll be fine." I assured both of my teammates, "I've already made serious progress with him." When I saw they were still uncertain, I pulled them both down to my level, looking them directly in the eyes. "Don't you trust me?"

They both flinched, looking at each other guiltily before nodding. "We trust you."

"Good." I said, nodding in return, "Now let's go show those thugs who's boss around here!"

"Yeah!" Dahlia yelled, remembering why we were there, "We'll make those losers wish they were never BORN!"

"Heh." Leon laughed as he followed us, "Rookies."

We entered the Fossil Stadium. It wasn't as crowded as it would have been if we were in an actual tournament, but there were still quite a few people who would never miss a Fossil Battle. We faced the Killer Fiends.

"Ready to lose, Big Mama!" one of them, Stock, yelled in challenge.

"You're going down!" Locke bellowed, not acknowledging that our team now had three members too.

"YEE-HAAW!" the third, Barrel, cheered as they sent out their vivosaurs: Lophus, Lexo, and Cerato.

"Three Earth-types, huh?" I said to myself, "They don't have much variety, do they?"

" _They are three of a kind._ " Gorgo growled from his Dino Gear, " _I can take them easily._ "

"Now Gorgo." I said sternly, "Remember, you're working in a team now. It's your job to support them."

" _Yeah. Whatever._ " he growled as I loaded him into the launcher and released him onto the field. He landed alongside Dahlia's Pachy, an Earth-type vivosaur that was as hard-headed as she was. Leon's Ptera hovered overhead. With challenging roars from both sides, the battle commenced.

Pachy charged at Lophus, seeing the herbivore as an easy target. Ptera, not known for his patience either, dove toward the duckbill as well. As they closed in for the finishing blow, they were intercepted by Lexo and Cerato, who threw them back.

"Pachy!" Dahlia cried.

"Ptera!" Leon yelled.

The two vivosaurs, still stunned by the counterattack, were helpless as the theropod and the spined herbivore charged at them, ready to take them down. Dahlia and Leon commanded their vivosaurs to get up, but it was hopeless. There was no way they'd recover in time to dodge. I grinned, my eyes glowing with the fire of battle, and it reflected in the eyes of my vivosaur.

"Gorgo!" I commanded, "Defend your team!"

The large carnivore roared as it charged forward. With a single sweep of his head and tail, he sent the two vivosaurs flying, just as they had done to his teammates.

"Leon! Dahlia! Now's your chance!" I called to my teammates.

"Right!" they both yelled.

"Ptera! Middle Spear on Cerato!" Leon commanded.

"Pachy! Middle Kick on Lexo!" Dahlia ordered.

The vivosaurs roared happily, executing their moves simultaneously. Their opponents, unable to withstand the combined strikes, fell.

"Crap!" the two cried, "It's up to you, Locke!"

"Got it!" Locke yelled, "Lophus! Attack!"

"Too late." I sang, smiling viciously.

Gorgo stood before the herbivore, his massive form dwarfing everything on the battlefield.

"Gorgo…" I said, my sing-song voice still present, "Finish this little game for us, will you?"

Gorgo roared, his bloodlust showing itself proudly, and he charged at the herbivore that stood paralyzed in the face of his fury. He clamped his jaws down on its back, throwing it into the air before spinning around, sending it flying toward its fighter's Bone Buggy. It transformed back into a Dino Gear just before it crashed. The three vivosaurs on my side howled in victory.

Back in the lobby, my team gathered.

"Yeah! We're the best!" Dahlia yelled happily.

"Naturally." Leon said, smirking before turning to me, "Still, you never cease to amaze me, Tria. You took command of that Gorgo like it was the easiest thing in the world!"

"Oh, stop!" I said, blushing, "It's not that amazing, really."

"Like hell it's not!" Dahlia joined in, "That thing was HUGE! And FEROCIOUS! And it put you in the HOSPITAL! And you were using it in BATTLE! And it was LISTENING to you!" She grabbed my shoulders again, looking directly into my eyes. "I don't care what you say, that's amazing!"

I shrugged, smiling sheepishly. Just then, our opponents approached us. Dahlia turned toward them, her gaze hardening into a glare. Leon stepped closer to us, eyes narrowing intimidatingly. I just stood there, watching curiously.

"Big Mama…" Locke whimpered. The others looked like they were about to burst into tears. Dahlia wasn't having any of it.

"Oh, no!" she said sternly, "A deal's a deal. Get out of my sight! NOW!"

"Yes, Big Mama!" they cried, running out of the Stadium. Dahlia watched them leave.

Leon leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear, "I can see now why they call her Big Mama."

"No kidding." I agreed quietly, "She really is like their mother."

"What are you guys whispering about?" Dahlia asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!" we both answered hastily.

Dahlia narrowed her eyes at us, and we sweatdropped. I coughed awkwardly.

"So…" I said, "Do you two want to come with me when I report to Drake and Violet, or shall I go alone?"

Dahlia paled at the thought of facing the European leader, whom she had defied. Leon just shrugged.

"I'm an American Warden. I only came here to assist my Paleo Pal. I have nothing to report." he said dismissively.

"Roger." I said before turning to Dahlia, "What about you?"

Dahlia stared at me, the fear in her eyes pitiful. She then glanced at Leon and brightened. I could almost see the lightbulb appear above her head.

"Actually…" she said, running over to Leon and grabbing his arm, "I think, since it's Leon's first time in Europe, I should show him around! That's one of the roles of a Warden, right?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Leon yelled in surprised protest. I laughed.

"I think that's a great idea!" I said, much to the surprise of both Leon and Dahlia, "You've been shirking your Warden duties, and it would give you two a chance to catch up."

"But Tria…!" Leon protested, but I cut him off.

"And YOU can use this as an opportunity to practice working in a group that doesn't include me." I told him, before addressing both of them, "Go explore Yodel Hills. I'll call you when I finish my report. Okay?"

"You got it!" Dahlia agreed whole-heartedly.

"Yeah, yeah." Leon said less enthusiastically.

"Excellent!" I said, smiling, "Have fun!" I then turned to leave, but Dahlia put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"One more thing, Tria." she said seriously, her eyes pleading, "Please don't tell Drake and Violet that I was…"

"Don't worry, Dahlia." I said reassuringly, placing a hand over hers and looking into her eyes, "I won't rat you out." I smiled gently. "Trust me."

Dahlia looked at my face, scanning it for signs of dishonesty and, finding none, released me.

"Thanks, Tria." she said, smiling gratefully before addressing Leon, "Come on, Leon! We have a schedule to keep! Woo-hoo!" She then took off toward the Garage, Leon following after exchanging one last glance with me.

"Let's go, Nibbles." I said to my partner, and we headed for the Fossil Center.

" _Are you really going to lie to the leader of this Fossil Park?_ " he asked, looking up at me.

"I prefer the term 'enhancing the truth'." I told him, leaving it at that. Nibbles, after staring at me for a few seconds, shook his head and snorted, following me into Drake's office.

"Oh Tria…hey." Drake said in his typical nervous greeting, "I heard you…defeated the Speed Fiends. G-Good job."

"Thank you, sir." I said, bowing slightly, "But I wasn't alone. Dahlia helped me, as did an American Warden named Leon who graduated with us."

"You…found Dahlia?" Drake asked, his voice sounding vaguely shocked.

"Seriously?!" a hyper voice exclaimed from doorway. I turned just in time to see Violet running up to me, "We've been trying to find Dahlia for AGES! Where was she?"

I smiled. "Believe it or not, she was chasing the Speed Fiends." I told them.

Drake's eyes widened, while Violet raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"Ch-Chasing the Speed Fiends?" Drake stuttered.

"Really?" Violet asked suspiciously, "Why would she do that?"

"Dahlia has a passion for Bone Buggies and, by connection, freedom of the road. As such, she doesn't easily tolerate others interfering with that freedom." I answered calmly.

"She…did always seem exhausted when she reported in…" Drake offered shyly.

"Yeah, I know…" Violet muttered, "But why didn't she ask for help? If not during the chase, then afterward?"

"She was probably too caught up for that thought to cross her mind." I replied, shrugging, "I can relate. And besides…" I raised an eyebrow at the two Wardens before me, "You guys were too busy to help me out with the Speed Fiends. What's to say you wouldn't have been too busy to help Dahlia?"

Both Drake and Violet shrank back, looking away in shame.

"I…guess that's true." Violet mumbled, sounding more like Drake. Drake himself just whimpered.

"Anyway!" Violet said suddenly, her cheerful optimism returning, "These are just rumors, but…" She leaned closer to me, whispering, "I heard you beat Big Mama in a Time Attack."

I chuckled up the psychic's quick change of mood. "Word travels fast, doesn't it?"

"Yeah!" Violet leaned in even closer, eyeing me, "I heard she has crazy eyes and a solid gold foot! And her hands are actually fused with the steering wheel!"

At this description, I burst out laughing, falling to my knees and clutching my stomach. Drake and Violet stared at me as I struggled to regain my breath. Nibbles snickered in amusement.

"No, no." I gasped, reaching out a hand, which Violet took and helped me up, "Nothing like that." I then thought for a moment. "Well, she did have crazy eyes, but mostly, she was exactly what her name said. The Big Mama of the Speed Fiends. Without her, they were helpless."

"Did you battle her in the Fossil Stadium?" Violet asked.

"Nope." I said simply, "She may be fast in a Bone Buggy, but her battle skills leave much to be desired."

"I see…" Violet hummed thoughtfully, "And she's gone now?"

I nodded, turning and bowing to Drake. "Please forgive me, sir. I failed to bring in the Speed Fiends like I promised. I am very sorry."

Drake jumped in shock, rapidly shaking his head. "N-N-No! Don't apologize, Tria! You did…very well." He looked at me, a small smile on his face. "Next time we need help, I'll be sure to call you!" He then looked down again, his excitement fading into shyness. "I mean…if you w-want to…"

"Of course!" I said happily, saluting him, "Thank you, sir!"

Drake nodded shyly. "Oh, and could you…call Dahlia?" he asked, "I want her to report in."

"Of course." I said, "She's out showing Leon around Yodel Hills. I'll call them."

"Thank you, Tria." Drake said, smiling again.

"I can't wait to work with you again, Tria!" Violet said cheerfully, waving her wand in farewell.

"Likewise, Violet!" I replied, leaving the European leader's office. I pulled out my phone and looked down at Nibbles, who was smirking up at me.

"What?" I asked him once we got outside.

" _Now I know what you mean by 'enhancing the truth'._ " he growled, chuckling.

"It's an art." I said, grinning slyly as I dialed Dahlia's number (don't ask how I got it), "One I happen to have a talent for."

" _I can tell._ " Nibbles laughed.

"Hey, Tria!" Dahlia greeted me happily when her face appeared on the screen, "How'd it go? Leon and I are racing around Yodel Hills! Wanna join?"

"Maybe later, Dahlia." I replied, "You are to report to Leader Drake immediately."

On the screen, I saw her face pale. "M…Me? Wh-Why?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just following orders."

Dahlia narrowed her eyes. "Tria…you didn't…"

"Of course not." I said calmly, "Don't you trust me?"

Dahlia held my stare for a few seconds before sighing and saying something to Leon through her radio.

"Yeah, yeah. I trust you…" she mumbled, "We'll be back in a few." She then hung up. I shook my head, looking down at Nibbles.

" _She doesn't trust you._ " he stated, growling low in his throat.

"I know." I sighed as we headed back into the Fossil Center and sat on one of the benches, "Can't exactly blame her, though. I mean, just a little while ago, I was trying to capture her and bring her in. For all she knows, I could have been working for Drake the whole time and only pretending to be her friend."

" _Well, if she reveals that she was Big Mama, it'll be her own fault._ " Nibbles growled unsympathetically.

"Nibbles." I scolded him, my voice serious, "You do realize that, when Drake and Violet find out the entire truth, there'll be hell to pay for me as well."

Nibbles snorted and lay his head on my lap, not even commenting on my use of 'when' instead of 'if'. I leaned back and sighed, stroking his head as I noted that Leon and Dahlia had entered the Fossil Center. Dahlia headed straight for Drake's office, pausing only to glance back at me. When our eyes met, I winked at her. She flinched, turning away fiercely and marching in, her head held high. Leon approached me.

"Tria…" he said cautiously, "You didn't tell them, did you?"

"What do you think, Leon?" I asked, looking up at him tiredly, "Do you really think so lowly of me that you think I'd go back on my word?"

Leon jerked backward, the suspicion in his eyes giving way to guilt as his expression softened. "No…of course not." He looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, Tria."

I laughed, although it sounded strained. I was more tired than I thought.

"Don't be. Sit down." I told him, patting the space next to me. When he did so, I looked at him with tired eyes. "Can I use you as a pillow? I'm very tired."

"Sure thing." he said, gently putting his arm around me and pulling me against his side. I closed my eyes, my breathing even and calm. As I began to doze off, I heard Leon say something. Not comprehending, I made a confused noise of acknowledgement. Leon chuckled.

"You really are tired, aren't you?" he said in amusement, "I asked you what you told the leader here."

"Hm." I hummed, "You'll find out soon enough."

Right after I said that, Dahlia came back out of Drake's office, looking slightly bewildered. She looked to where Leon and I sat and rushed over to me, eyes wide.

"Tria!" she cried, "Are you okay?! What's wrong?!"

"Settle down, Dahlia." I said, groaning slightly, "I'm just a little tired. It's been another long day." I reached out my hand and Dahlia helped me up, much to the chagrin of Leon and Nibbles. "How'd your meeting go?"

Dahlia, at the mention of the meeting, teared up, looking at me with unreadable eyes.

"Dahlia?" I asked, "What's wrong?"

Dahlia didn't reply immediately, just standing there staring at me. When I was about to speak again, she practically lunged at me, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. I gasped, struggling to breathe.

"Tria! Thank you! Thank you so much!" she cried, pulling back and looking into my eyes, her grip on my shoulders remaining strong, "I'm so sorry I doubted you! I'll never do it again! I promise!"

"Dahlia! Calm down!" Leon exclaimed, standing up, "What happened in there?"

Dahlia turned to him, not letting go of me. "I was commended!" she exclaimed, "Drake and Violet commended me and said they were expecting me to be a fine Warden!"

"What?" Leon exclaimed, looking at me in confused exasperation, "What DID you tell them?"

"Tria's amazing!" Dahlia declared, answering for me, "She told them I hadn't been reporting in because I was busy chasing the Speed Fiends, and that I didn't ask for help because I thought they were too busy to be disturbed!"

"It's not that far from the truth." I mumbled, leaning into Dahlia's embrace, "You were with the Speed Fiends during the time you were missing, and they were too busy to help me catch your gang, so why should you have expected any other answer?"

"But what about Big Mama?" Leon asked, "Surely they asked about the Speed Fiend's notorious leader!"

"She's gone!" Dahlia answered, "According to Tria, Big Mama isn't good at Fossil Battles, so when she was beaten in a Time Attack, she fled!"

"It's true…" I mumbled, catching their attention, "You aren't good at Fossil Battles, and once I beat you, you gave up your role as Big Mama, as if that persona fled your being in the face of her defeat."

"Tria! You are the BEST! I owe you one, BIG TIME!" Dahlia cried, her embrace the only thing holding me up.

"I gotta hand it to ya, Tria." Leon said, shaking his head in amazement, "You really never cease to amaze."

"'s my job." I slurred, starting to fall asleep again. As I closed my eyes, I heard Dahlia say something to Leon, and I heard him reply, but I couldn't catch what they said as I slipped into unconsciousness.


	12. Trouble in Fossil Park Asia

When I opened my eyes, I was met with the familiar sight of my room in Fossil Park Asia. Nibbles was curled up at the foot of my bed, his bandana still around his neck. I yawned and sat up, looking around in confusion.

"Good morning, Tria!" I heard a gentle voice sing. I turned to see Penny sitting on her bed across from me, smiling. "How are you feeling this morning?"

I stretched my arms, yawning again as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Well-rested." I stated, getting up and looking for a change of clothes, "How'd I get here? Last I remember, I was in Fossil Park Europe."

"Yeah." Penny said, "That was yesterday. Apparently, you fell asleep after disbanding a gang with Leon and Dahlia. Dahlia carried you here on her back, and Leon and Nibbles were following. They brought you here and made sure you were comfortable before leaving." She smiled wider, adding, "I'd never seen those two act so gentle before. They were intent on taking care of you."

I laughed softly. "Those two are quite the interesting characters."

Penny nodded, before perking up. "Oh yeah! Dahlia left a message for you on your phone! She told me to tell you to check it once you woke up."

I hummed in acknowledgement as I pulled on a clean shirt and grabbed my phone, reading the message that appeared on the screen.

 **Tria. Thank you for covering for me. I can never thank you enough, but I can start by making you my Paleo Pal. I know you'll agree, so I already registered you! Just throw me in your party whenever you feel like cruising around a dig site! Thanks again!**

I smiled as I finished reading. "Dahlia's as excitable as ever, I see." I said fondly.

"I know what you mean." Penny agreed, "I was her partner for the Warden Test. She was crazy, but I wouldn't have passed without her."

"She's a fine Warden." I said, nodding, "She could do with a little more self-control, though."

Penny smiled, looking at me with gleaming eyes. When I raised my eyebrow in question, she looked away, muttering shyly, "You know, I really admire you, Tria."

"Oh?" I asked, "For what?"

Penny looked up at me, blushing. "You make friends so easily! Even people who are hard to get along with, like Leon and Dahlia, bond with you quickly and care about you very much! You should have seen the look of pure horror on everyone's faces when they'd heard what happened to you during the Warden Test. Even Leon looked like he was about to pass out, not that he'd admit it." she told me, laughing at that last part. I laughed too, walking over to my roommate.

"I don't know about making friends 'easily', but people care for me because I care for them. It's a two-way street." I said, patting her shoulder, "You have people who care about you, too, you know. You, Nate, and Roland are the best team I've ever seen. You guys care about each other."

"I guess so." Penny said, blushing slightly and smiling at the thought of her fellow Asian Wardens. Her train of thought was interrupted by my stomach, which growled loudly.

"Sorry…" I muttered, glaring at Nibbles, who was snickering, "I guess I missed dinner last night." When my stomach growled more loudly, I grinned sheepishly, "I think I missed lunch, too."

Penny laughed with me before doing a full double-take. "Wait a minute…you mean you've gone an ENTIRE DAY without eating?!" she screamed in a mixture of exasperation, disbelief, and horror.

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. "Yesterday was a busy day. I guess I just forgot."

Penny stared at me, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You FORGOT to eat for a WHOLE DAY?!"

I shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time…"

Penny grabbed my wrist, dragging me out of our room and toward the kitchen, "Come on, Tria! You're not doing ANYTHING ELSE until you've eaten! I am going to make sure of that!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I yelled back as she pulled me along. Nibbles followed close behind. He was as hungry as I was.

"Hey! Look who's finally awake!" Nate greeted us when we entered the kitchen. He waved us over. "Come on, sit with us!"

I waved back, moving to get some food, but I soon found myself shoved rather forcefully into a chair.

"Oh no! YOU'RE gonna sit there and relax!" Penny ordered me, "I'LL get your breakfast!"

"What's the fuss about, Penny?" Roland asked, "Is Tria injured again?" He looked at me worriedly.

"No, she's not injured." Penny sighed, looking at me in exasperation, "She just has a serious lack of common sense!"

I shook my head and raised my hands in defeat. "That, I cannot deny."

"What did you do to get Penny so riled up, Tria?" Nate asked me, laughing in amusement.

"Well, apparently, I'm not eating enough." I replied, shrugging.

Penny, who was getting some bacon and eggs from the provided buffet, turned on me again.

"That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard!" she growled at me before addressing the two boys, "She hasn't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday!"

"WHAT?!" the boys screamed, gawking at me.

"How do you go an entire day without eating?!" Roland asked disbelievingly, paling at the thought.

"Uh…" I muttered awkwardly, "I was busy?"

"Dang…" Nate said in awe, "Now that's dedication. I wish I had that kind of drive."

"No, you don't!" Penny scolded, "Roland, help me get food for Tria. Nate, go get a steak for Nibbles."

"Got it!" Roland said in affirmation, getting up to do his assigned task. Nate was not as eager.

"What?!" he screamed again, "You want me to feed that can-chomping vivosaur?!"

"Rawr!" Nibbles growled, finding Nate's reaction funny.

"See! He's just waiting to bite my poor butt! Listen to him!" Nate yelled, backing away from Nibbles.

"No, he's not." I corrected him, laughing as well, "He thinks you're funny." As my giggles died down, I smiled at the pink-haired male. "If you're really worried, just think of it this way: if he has the steak, he's less likely to attack your butt than if his jaws are unoccupied."

Nate's eyes widened in realization, his mouth forming a small "o". Without another word, he darted off to the meat storage, leaving the group behind him laughing their heads off.

"I've gotta hand it to you, Tria. You do have a way with words." Penny said, impressed at how easily I swayed Nate's decision.

"It's almost scary." Roland muttered, setting a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice in front of me. I nodded to him in thanks as Penny brought me my other plate.

"Thanks, guys," I said gratefully, "You really didn't have to do this."

"Nonsense!" Penny said, waving her hand dismissively, "You've been working hard. It's the least we can do."

"Besides…" Nate said slyly when he returned "With all of us here, I can finally tell the story I've been dying to tell since we all got here!"

"A story?" I asked through a mouthful of egg.

"Tria, don't talk with your mouth full!" Penny scolded me.

"Sorry, mother." I apologized once I had swallowed. Penny huffed at the title I had given her.

"What kind of story?" Roland asked Nate.

Nate smiled. "Do you all know how Captain Stryker became the leader of the Wardens?" he asked.

"Didn't he save the world from an evil mastermind?" I replied, making sure to swallow before speaking this time.

"Correct!" Nate said, propping himself up on his elbows as he began his story.

"Five years ago, there was a scary organization that was plotting world domination. You know…like they do." We all nodded, so he continued, "They were called the BR Brigade. They were scary in a lot of ways, but worst of all was their secret weapon: enhanced dark vivosaurs!"

Nibbles whimpered quietly, and I glanced at him and lay my hand on his head in an attempt to comfort him. The others didn't notice.

"I hear that they even used those vivosaurs to take over certain Fossil Parks. Finally, the International Fossil Police- or INTERFOL- decided to take a stand. They put Captain Stryker on the case and charged him with disbanding the BR Brigade once and for all. Captain Stryker tracked the BR Brigade's leader, a man named Dr. Baron von Blackraven, to his totally awesome submarine lair. And yeah, I guess he's both a doctor AND a baron? I don't know. Seems like an overly long name if you ask me."

"Woah…" Penny and Roland chorused in awe. I remained silent, listening intently as I continued stroking Nibbles, who had crawled into my lap.

"Anyway…" Nate hummed as he got back on track, "Captain Stryker and Dr. Blackraven fought like a couple of wild badgers, but, eventually, the Captain emerged victorious. And yeah, lots of people helped behind the scenes, but Captain Stryker was pretty much the hero of the day. I think they had a parade for him or something, but I'm a little fuzzy on that part." He sweatdropped. "Anyway, as a reward for taking out the trash, they made Captain Stryker the leader of the newly-established Wardens."

"Ooooooo." Penny almost sighed as she stared at Nate.

"What happened to Dr. Baron von Blackraven?" Roland asked, sounding nervous.

"Well, I'm not sure." Nate answered, holding his chin as he put on his 'thinking' face, "But I think he's locked up somewhere in one of the Fossil Parks."

Roland looked about to comment, but stopped when my phone started ringing.

"Tria!" Stryker's voice came through the receiver, "Are you awake?"

"As far as I know, Captain." I replied, not feeling any need to act formal.

"Excellent. Please report to me as soon as you are able." he ordered before hanging up.

"Yes sir." I replied, though I knew he couldn't hear me. I had heard Professor Little's voice just before he had hung up, which likely meant something had happened.

"All right, guys. I have to go report to Captain Stryker. Thanks again for the food."

"You're going to work already?" Penny asked me, still sounding exasperated at my lack of concern for my own health.

"Dang, Tria." Nate whistled, "Do you EVER relax?"

"Depends on how you define 'relax'." I replied, signaling to Nibbles, who had just finished his steak. He snorted in acknowledgement, following me to the Captain's office.

When we exited the elevator, Stryker and Little were having a very serious conversation. I stood at the back of the room, unnoticed.

"I can't believe this is really happening…" Stryker was muttering. He was gritting his teeth and sounded genuinely upset. "He actually escaped?!"

"Escaped?" I thought, looking at Nibbles, who had suddenly become agitated, "That doesn't sound good."

"I calculate an 88% chance that he will seek revenge on you, Captain Stryker." Professor Little warned the Captain, his hands on Stryker's desk. He was trying to be serious, but considering that he was barely tall enough to reach it, the action just came off as comical. However, the obvious severity of the situation quickly snuffed out what light-heartedness there was.

Stryker crossed his arms in thought. "Hm…I'm not so sure. He knows that getting revenge on me is a luxury in the bigger picture." he said gravely, "That's what makes him so dangerous. Plus, it sounds like his two lieutenants got away along with him. If he's getting the old gang back together, it's for more than just revenge." Stryker then slammed his hands on his desk, looking at the child professor. "Inform the Wardens of this at once, and work with them to gather as much intel as you can!"

"Right away, Captain!" Little yelled in affirmation, before looking down, "Although…"

Stryker leaned back, smiling reassuringly. "At ease, Professor. I know exactly what you're worried about, and there's no need to panic. I've only informed a select few individuals about…that. Dr. Blackraven doesn't have any idea, I'm sure of it."

I looked at Nibbles, who shuddered at the mention of 'that', and stepped forward, knowing that I had already overheard too much. I put my arm back near the elevator doors, causing them to open again and then walked forward, as if I had only just entered the room.

"Excuse me." I said, my voice not giving any indication that I had overheard their conversation, "You called for me, sir?"

"Ah, Tria. You're here. Good." Stryker said, nodding to Professor Little, who nodded in return.

"I'll start informing the others at once, Captain." the younger male said, turning around and leaving, sparing a nod to me before entering the elevator.

Once Professor Little had left, Stryker looked at me. "I heard back from Drake. It sounds like you're doing excellent work out there. I'm proud of you."

I blushed, smiling shyly. "Thank you, sir."

Stryker smiled back at me before becoming serious and authoritative again. "However, right now, I need you to meet another leader here in Warden HQ."

I raised an eyebrow at the Captain, asking in confusion, "Um…I thought YOU were the leader?"

Stryker nodded. "I'm the leader of the Wardens, true. However, my duties often take me far away. That's why Warden HQ has its own dedicated leader who serves in the same capacity as Sean and Drake. His name is Liu Ren, and I wager you remember him from your earlier lessons." He smiled. "He's also the one who treated your injuries, if you'll recall."

"Yeah, I remember him…" I began. My eyes then widened as my face turned bright red. "Wait a minute…HE was the leader of Fossil Park Asia?!" I buried my face in my hands. "I can't believe I took up his valuable time just to teach me how to drive! And then I caused more trouble by getting hurt! I can't believe this Park's leader's first impression of me was that of a reckless rookie!"

Stryker burst out laughing at my paranoid rant. "I assure you, Tria, that he did not see you merely as a 'reckless rookie'. In fact, he, like everyone else, was very impressed by your determination and skills. You have nothing to worry about."

When I heard that, I sighed with relief, glad that I hadn't totally screwed myself over with my performance during the Warden Test. Stryker, noticing me relax, continued explaining my assignment.

"Anyway, I want you to officially meet him. You can find him in the Leader's office just below us."

"Sir." I said in affirmation, heading down to the floor below the Captain's. When I got out, I saw Liu Ren standing next to a desk, discussing something with Nate. Both of them looked at me when Nibbles and I entered the room.

"Heya, Tria!" Nate greeted me.

"Hey, Nate." I nodded to him before turning to Liu Ren.

"Hello, Tria." he said, as calm as ever, "Between America and Europe, it sounds like you're having quite the adventure."

"Thank you, sir." I said, bowing. When Liu Ren raised an eyebrow, I elaborated, "You took time out of your busy schedule to teach me, a newbie who wasn't even a Warden yet, the basics of driving, battling, and excavating. You also looked after me when I was in the hospital. I am very grateful."

"Oh, it was no trouble." Liu Ren assured me, his smile warm and kind, "I am glad to look after such a promising young Warden. Actually, your timing now couldn't be better."

I perked up. This must have been what he and Nate had been talking about when I arrived.

"We just received a distress call from a dig site here in Fossil Park Asia." Liu Ren explained, "Sounds like someone's Bone Buggy broke down and left him stranded. I need you and Nate to head out there right away and lead the rescue mission."

"Of course!" I said as I saluted, "We'll leave at once!"

"Thank you very much." Liu Ren said, smiling as he pulled a metal case out of his desk, "Here. You can use these spare parts to repair the Bone Buggy in question." He handed me the case. "Your destination is the dig site called Lantern Lake."

"Thank you, sir." I said the Asian Leader. I looked at Nate. "Let's go, Nate."

"Woo-hoo!" he cheered, "Finally! A mission! I was about to die of boredom!" He ran out of Liu Ren's office, yelling something like "Meet me when you're done yakking! I'm outta here!"

I shook my head. "He's as impatient as ever."

"Heh. Youth." Liu Ren said fondly, as if reminiscing about his past, "Well then, I wish you both good luck."

"Thank you, sir." I said, bowing again.

"Oh, Tria." Liu Ren chastised lightly, "No need to be so formal. You weren't so when we first met."

"I'm sorry." I apologized, "I was not aware of you position then, or I would've been more respectful."

"Forget my position." the older male ordered, "We're both Wardens now, and in that regard, we are equals."

"Thank you s- I mean, thank you, Liu Ren." I corrected myself, smiling and heading out the door. Before I left, I heard the Asian Warden call out to me.

"Oh yeah! Tria! The Fossil Shop is open now!" he told me. I waved in acknowledgement. I didn't have time to shop now, but I would check it out later.

Once I updated my Bone Buggy with the new parts I had gotten after ranking up after defeating the Speed Fiends, I headed out to meet Nate, who was waiting at Lantern Lake.

Lantern Lake was a dig site that seemed to be in a perpetual state of twilight. The sun was setting, making the dig site dark, but it never actually set completely, maintaining an eerie orange-and-violet glow. Over the shallow lake was a wooden path that led to hilly ground that eventually turned into a mountain that towered over the entire site. I drove up to the light blue Rock Crusher that I knew belonged to Nate.

"I've been waiting for you, Tria." he said in greeting, "C'mon! Let's goooo!"

"Hang on, Nate! Liu Ren's calling us!" I told him as his leader's face appeared on our screens.

"I've received additional information on the individual awaiting rescue. His name is Dr. Digmore, and he's an archaeologist." he said, "Apparently, he came out here to excavate some sort of relic. Hope he had the right permits for that…" He trailed off, frowning. He then continued awkwardly, "Er, anyway, he's stranded somewhere deep inside Lantern Lake. Good luck."

"Thank you, sir." I said as he hung up.

"Ha!" Nate cried, as if he'd had some sort of revelation, "No wonder the guy's in trouble! Eggheads like that usually aren't very good at Fossil Battles. And I don't even want to think about him going toe-to-toe with a rogue vivosaur!"

"Nate!" I scolded, "Not all 'eggheads' are weak. It could be that something's wrong with his Bone Buggy."

"Whatever!" Nate yelled, flooring the accelerator on his Rock Crusher and speeding down the wooden path, "Let's go save the day, Tria!"

"Right!" I yelled in agreement, following in my Digger's Rig. I soon drove past him, leading him to the edge of the lake. There, we found our target.

"GYAAA! Go away! Shoo!" Thomas Digmore screamed through his radio at the Fire-type pterasaurian vivosaur, Sungari, that was pecking at his gray Heavy Hauler, "Oh, Mother was right! I really AM no good at Fossil Battles! S-Someone! Anyone! Please help me!"

"Told ya." Nate said to me, grinning smugly. I glared at him.

"Save it for later, Nate!" I yelled at him, "This guy's in trouble!"

"Oh man! That guy's about to be turned into vivosaur chow!" Nate exclaimed, "Wh-What should we do, Tria?!"

"Save him, duh!" I yelled, propelling my Digger's Rig forward as an Air-type V-raptor jumped down from the cliff.

"R-Right! Let's do this!" Nate yelled, suddenly sounding nervous in the face of the two vicious rogues. He sent out his strongest vivosaur, the Air-type Edapho, who growled in excitement. I let him handle V-raptor while I sent out Thalasso to take on Sungari.

The Sungari, with its notoriously low defense, was taken out in a one-hit KO. With the flying vivosaur out of the way, Thalasso then turned his focus to Edapho's battle with V-raptor. He was clearly having trouble landing an attack on his faster, more agile opponent. The quick-moving raptor jumped and evaded each of Edapho's attacks, lunging at the slower vivosaur and dealing massive damage.

"Hang in there, Edapho!" Nate yelled desperately as the V-raptor lunged again. The herbivore braced itself for the attack, hunkering down with its sail pointed at the carnivore.

Suddenly, before the V-raptor's claws could make contact with Edapho's sail, the carnivore was knocked to the ground by Thalasso's Middle Spear.

"Nice work, Thalasso!" I praised my vivosaur.

"Thanks, Tria!" Nate called to me, "I'll finish this!" He then turned his attention to his vivosaur. "Edapho! Tornado Sail now!"

Edapho growled again, shuffling over to the stunned carnivore and swatting it with both forearms before sending it flying with a spinning strike from his sail. As the V-raptor vanished in a flash of light, Thalasso and Edapho howled victoriously before returning to us. With the battle won, Nate and I drove over to Digmore.

"Augh!" he screamed through the radio. When he realized that it was only me and Nate, and not more vicious rogue vivosaurs, he sighed with relief. "Good heavens! I thought those things were going to tear me apart! I owe you two my life!"

"Uh…" Nate muttered awkwardly, "You're welcome?" He looked down at his screen to me, as if expecting me to say something, but I couldn't reply. After the battle had ended, I had developed a throbbing pain in my head. Luckily for me, Dr. Digmore continued speaking.

"Er, yes. Introductions." he said, sounding embarrassed, "Well, my name is Dr. Thomas Digmore, and I teach archaeology over at Fellings University." He then paused briefly before asking, "Who might you be?"

"I'm Nate." Nate answered, seeming to notice that I was in no condition to talk, "And this is Tria."

Dr. Digmore hummed in approval. "Nate and Tria, is it? Yes, yes. Fine names. Quite rugged." I could hear the smile in his voice. "As I said before, I can't thank you two enough!"

"It was nothing!" Nate said confidently, beaming at the praise, "Just a normal day on the job for us Wardens!"

"Nate…" I groaned, my sudden headache lessening my patience, "The spare parts…"

"Oh, right!" Nate exclaimed, scratching his head in embarrassment, "We should probably see about fixing your Bone Buggy." He then got out of his Bone Buggy and walked over to mine. "Can you give me the spare parts, Tria?"

"Here." I said, handing him the case with the parts down to him. As he took it, he asked me quietly.

"Are you okay? You're acting weird, like you're sick or something."

"I'm fine." I groaned, sounding unconvincing even to myself, "Just a headache. Let me rest it off…"

"…All right. If you say so." Nate said as he hesitantly made his way to the busted Bone Buggy with a worried glance at me.

As I leaned back in my seat, I looked at Nibbles, who was in the seat next to mine. To my surprise, he seemed to be suffering, too. He was curled up on the seat with his eyes squeezed shut, trembling.

"You all right, buddy?" I asked him, placing a soothing hand on his back. He shuddered.

" _What do you think?_ " he growled, trying to sound angry, but it only came off as pained, " _I feel like I'm being torn apart while also being crushed!_ "

"I know what you mean." I replied, gasping in pain as I held my head with my free hand, "Where is this pain coming from?"

" _Don't look at me._ " my little companion snarled, nuzzling my hand in a desperate search for comfort.

Nibbles and I turned our attentions back to the mission at hand when we heard an excited exclamation from the doctor.

"Great chattering skulls! You fixed it!" he cried joyfully, "Now I can go back to excavating relics!"

"It was nothing, really!" Nate replied, still beaming. He then started as Nibbles and I perked up, "Wait, did you say 'excavating relics'?"

"That's right!" Digmore confirmed happily, before cringing, "Oh dear. My hands are shaking from that rogue vivosaur attack earlier." He clenched his shaking fists, glaring at them. "This won't do! If I slip and damage some priceless artifact, my peers will never let me hear the end of it!"

I cringed, too, taking deep breaths as Nate's newfound confidence answered the unspoken question.

"Hey, don't worry! We'll get it for ya!" he offered enthusiastically. Dr. Digmore looked at us through his screen hopefully.

"Oh, would you? That's terrific!" he cheered, "We don't need to go far. My Relic Detector is already pinging like crazy! There's probably a fine relic right under our noses, don't you know? Oh my, yes!"

"Calm down, dude!" Nate yelled, blushing at the disturbing sound of the doctor's cry. I was in too much pain to care.

The excited archeologist didn't seem to notice the two Wardens' discomfort. "Anyway, just start digging around the area here and see what you find!"

"It might even be treasure!" Nate exclaimed, the excitement infectious, "Come on, Tria! Let's try it out!"

Dr. Digmore smiled, trembling slightly. "I'm going to lie here and try to banish the thought of my near-demise from my mind. Give a shout if you find anything."

"Will do!" Nate yelled, driving down a nearby path. I turned my Digger's Rig around, making to follow Nate. However, as I drove past the side of a nearby cliff, the throbbing pain in my head suddenly sharpened, like a raptor tooth being driven directly into my skull. Beside me, Nibbles cried out in agony.

"Nate!" I tried to yell, but it came out as little more than a croak. Fortunately, my companion heard me.

"What is it, Tria?" he asked worriedly, my pained voice alarming him, "What's wrong?"

"Something…" I gasped, pointing to the cliff, "Something's there…"

"What?!" he exclaimed, aiming his sonar at the area I pointed to, "Holy cow! You're right! It looks like…a coin, maybe? Let's dig it up!"

Nate then began to excavate the coin-shaped thing. With every movement of the drill, Nibbles and I cringed. When it was almost free, Nate called for Dr. Digmore. Nibbles whimpered, and I felt like an icy weight had settled in the pit of my stomach. "Goodness! You found it already! You Wardens really are something!" Digmore exclaimed, impressed, "Now let's see what we have here…"

He then pulled the flat disk out of the cliff face. At that moment, my vision flashed white, and an excruciating pain shot through my entire being. With that agony came intense feelings of fear, sorrow, rage, and loss, all fueling the unbearable pain that had overwhelmed my senses. I barely heard Nibbles scream beside me as I turned my Bone Buggy away from the panicking duo and floored the accelerator, my desperation to escape enough to make me forget my mission, the person I was supposed to be protecting, and the Warden calling my name as he freaked out. All I registered was the phrase that Nibbles kept screaming, the same phrase that was echoing repeatedly in my own mind.

 _Don't leave me!_


	13. Showdown at Xuan Wu Peak

By the time I got back to the Fossil Park, the excruciating pain had reduced to a dull ache. Once I pulled into the Garage, I turned my Digger's Rig's engine off and leaned back, breathing hard as I willed my heart to slow down from its panicked racing. I slid my hand over Nibbles' head, which had somehow ended up in my lap, its owner whimpering pitifully.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" I asked him as my dizziness began to fade. Nibbles sighed tiredly, nuzzling his head against my stomach. I sighed too, leaning my head back as I continued petting the little vivosaur. I cringed when my phone rang, letting it ring until it went to voicemail. Only when it rang a third time did I answer it with a tired "Hello?"

"TRIA!" I winced, holding the phone away from my ear as Nate's voice shrieked through the speaker, "Are you okay?! Where are you?! Why didn't you answer me earlier?!" He sounded like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Sorry, Nate." I muttered weakly, half-heartedly justifying myself, "I'm tired."

"I can tell." he agreed, his angry tone giving way to the worry that lay underneath, "Where are you?"

"In the Garage." I replied, "Nibbles and I don't have the strength to leave yet." I sighed, shuddering at my next question. "Where is that…coin?" Nibbles whimpered.

"Oh, that thing? Dr. Egghead took it back to his lab to investigate it. He's calling it the 'Dinodisc'." Nate told me, sounding slightly disappointed, "I still wish we had found some treasure, though…"

"I just hope it's not anywhere nearby. I don't think Nibbles and I could handle it." I groaned, holding my throbbing head. Nibbles whined, pushing his head against my other hand.

"Relax, Tria. The egghead took it back to his lab in America." Nate assured me, "Something about studying it to learn more about it, blah blah blah."

Nate laughed, and Nibbles and I sighed with relief. We then heard Nate make a noise that meant he had just remembered something.

"Oh yeah, Liu Ren wants us to report back to his office. See if you can get there soon."

"Roger that." I said tiredly, hanging up and sighing for the umpteenth time in the past five minutes. I turned to Nibbles, who was looking up at me tiredly.

"Come on, buddy. We need to get going." I told him. Sensing his hesitation, I wrapped my arms around him, lifting him easily. "Come on. I'll carry you." Nibbles purred, curling up so I could carry him more easily.

"Ah, Tria." Liu Ren greeted me when I entered his office, Nibbles still curled up in my arms, "I heard the rescue was a success. Excellent work."

"Thank you, sir." I said, too tired to bother trying not to use formalities. Nate seemed to want to add something, but right as he was about to speak, we heard the door open.

Liu Ren perked up. "Ah! Mei Lian! Perfect timing." he said to the girl who had just entered his office, "Allow me to introduce two of our newest Wardens, Nate and Tria." He then looked at us. "Nate, Tria, this is Mei Lian. She works at the Warden HQ."

Nate and I turned to face Mei Lian. She was about our age and had purple hair tied up in two Chinese-style buns. She was wearing a short red-and-black kimono and was carrying a lavender-colored fan. She approached me, completely ignoring Nate.

"So YOU'RE Tria!" Mei Lian said, smiling, her hands on her hips, "I've been looking for you!"

I arched an eyebrow, only just recovering from the Dinodisc's effects. "For me?"

"Yeah, you!" she said, her smile fading and an angry glint entering her dark gray eyes, "You're the one who stole what was rightfully mine!"

I started. "Sorry?" I asked, confused.

Mei Lian narrowed her eyes, glaring at me. "Don't play coy with me! I heard all about how you took down that rogue vivosaur over in Paradise Beach!"

I blinked. "Uh…yeah…so?"

Mei Lian growled. "So? So, that rogue vivosaur was mine! I'd been hunting it for ages! I got sent on an important mission, and when I came back, you'd already taken the thing out!" She then took a kung-fu pose, holding her fan above her head as she roared, "AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"

I jumped back, now fully awake, readying myself for an attack. Nibbles, who had jumped out of my arms, growled, taking on an aggressive stance as well.

"Mei Lian…" Liu Ren began, sighing in frustration, but Mei Lian ignored him.

"Get ready, Tria!" the girl yelled, "I, Mei Lian, hereby challenge you to a duel! The fight will take place at Lantern Lake's Xuan Wu Peak! It will be a one-on-one, winner-take-all Fossil Battle royale! I also insist you use that transforming vivosaur of yours! I demand satisfaction, Tria! And don't make me come back here and slap you with a glove, because I TOTALLY WILL!" She then turned and marched to the door, only turning back to say, "I await you at the summit! Do not disappoint me! Until we meet again!" And, with that, the crazed female left. I stood in place, blinking in shock.

"Oh…kay…" I muttered, dazed.

"Rrrgh…" Nibbles growled, closing his eyes as a headache returned.

"You know…" Nate added, his eyes wide, "I usually don't like to jump to conclusions based on a first impression, but…" He looked between me, Liu Ren, and the door. "That girl is CRAZY!"

Liu Ren sighed. "I admit, Mei Lian does have something of a short fuse. However, the work she does for us is beyond reproach." The Asian leader looked at me in pity. "The choice is yours, Tria. No one will force you to go. I'm sure she'll calm down in time." He then muttered under his breath, "…Like, say, a few years from now."

I shook my head. "No, Liu Ren. I have to accept this duel."

"Tria?!" Nate exclaimed, "What do you mean you HAVE to?! You don't owe that crazy girl anything! And even if you did, how are you and the can-chomper gonna be ABLE to face her? You had to CARRY that thing in here, and YOU can barely stand!"

Nibbles snarled challengingly, not at the nickname Nate had given him, but at the insinuation that he was too weak to fight. I stepped toward the pink-haired coward confidently.

"We're both fine. I don't know what that weird disc did to us, but it's not enough to bring us down! And we're certainly not gonna back down from a direct challenge! Besides…" I turned to Liu Ren, who had looked about to protest. "This is just like the time Gorgo challenged me. He only settled down when I defeated him. The same thing is true for Mei Lian."

Liu Ren looked like he wanted to argue, but, once again, Nate beat him to it.

"But this is different!" he exclaimed, frustrated, "That girl may be crazy, but she's still human! She's not a vicious vivosaur like that Gorgo was!"

I shook my head. "Gorgo challenged me because I stole his prey." Nibbles growled guiltily, nuzzling my leg in apology. I patted his head, continuing, "Mei Lian's prey was Gorgo, and I stole him from her, which is why she is challenging me. And, just like with Gorgo, once I prove that I am stronger, Mei Lian will back down." I turned back to Liu Ren, who was staring at me, stunned. "I am going to meet Mei Lian. Please make sure that area of the dig site is evacuated, in case things get out of hand."

"As you wish, Tria." Liu Ren said, nodding, "Good luck."

"Thank you, Liu Ren." I said, smiling, and he smiled back, pleased that I had finally used his name instead of calling him 'sir'. I then addressed Nate. "Nate, get Penny and Roland and have them ready to go to Lantern Lake in case something goes wrong."

"You got it, Tria!" Nate yelled, saluting me. I saluted in return, walking out of the Asian leader's office and heading for the Garage. On my way, I pulled out Gorgo's Dino Gear.

"Gorgo." I said quietly, my voice a low growl, "Mei Lian said she had been hunting you. Is that true?"

Gorgo snorted. " _If that's what she calls it. More like she kept challenging me to battles and losing._ "

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Is she really that weak?"

Gorgo growled, sounding insulted. " _Of course not! I'm just really strong!_ " With a look from me, he added reluctantly, " _Though she does use a V-raptor…_ "

I nodded. A small Air-type versus a large Fire-type. Not exactly a match made in heaven. It's not that I don't think Gorgo is strong; he is, but this girl is supposed to be a veteran Warden, yet she couldn't defeat a vivosaur that a couple of non-certified rookies were able to defeat.

I got into my Bone Buggy, upgrading its engine and tires, before driving through the portal to Lantern Lake. I drove quickly, staying away from the cliff. My head started pounding again, though Nibbles didn't seem affected this time. I soon reached the peak of the mountain, and faced the purple-and-white Speed Demon that belonged to Mei Lian.

"So you came!" Mei Lian called through her radio, "I thought for sure you'd turn tail and run."

"Nothing's ever been accomplished by running away." I replied, not missing the hint of relief beneath her condescending tone.

"That's right!" she yelled back, turning her Speed Demon around to face my Digger's Rig, "Now get that transforming vivosaur of yours ready, and let's BATTLE! I'm gonna thump you 'til you're sore, and then I'll thump you again!" She then drove forward, so that the nose of her Bone Buggy was only a few inches from the tires of mine. "If you have any last words, now would be the time to say 'em!"

"These won't be my last words, but…" I said, getting out of my Bone Buggy and sitting on its roof, as I always do when I'm serious about a battle, "You're going down!"

Nibbles roared as he joined me on the roof. He then jumped off, transforming mid-air and forcing Mei Lian back when he landed.

"Let's battle!" Mei Lian yelled, sending out her signature vivosaur: V-raptor. The raptor roared at Nibbles as the two faced off.

It wasn't like the V-raptor's battles with Gorgo. Even though Nibbles was a Fire-type, he was a relatively small carnivore, only slightly larger than V-raptor. The raptor was also faster and more agile than Nibbles, allowing it to evade all of his attacks while landing some devastating blows of its own.

"Hang on, Nibbles!" I yelled, clenching my teeth. Unless Nibbles could land a hit, this battle was as good as over. That's when I had an idea.

"Nibbles!" I called to him, gaining his attention, though he kept an eye on V-raptor, "Remember our battle with Gorgo?"

Nibbles growled in confirmation, not sure what I was suggesting.

"Do you remember how he immobilized me?" I asked, glancing at the cliff walls that surrounded the peak. Nibbles looked up at them too, then at me in realization, grinning sadistically as he understood my plan.

"Are you done?!" Mei Lian yelled from the other side of the battlefield, sounding furious, "We're in the middle of a battle here!" V-raptor roared in agreement.

"Just strategizing!" I called back, with Nibbles backing me up with a roar of his own.

"Good!" Mei Lian yelled, "But this ends now! V-raptor, finish that vivosaur!" V-raptor roared, lunging forward to deal the final blow.

"Nibbles!" I commanded, my voice calm and merciless, "Up!"

Nibbles roared at the attacking V-raptor, goading it into an all-out attack, only to dodge at the last second, jumping onto the cliff above and kicking some rocks loose.

"Don't just stand there, V-raptor!" Mei Lian yelled in frustration to the somewhat-dazed vivosaur, "After it! Now!"

V-raptor screeched angrily, jumping after Nibbles. I smirked.

"Just what I was waiting for." I whispered, before yelling, "All right, Nibbles! Bring them down!"

Nibbles grinned psychotically, kicking some large rocks onto V-raptor, rendering it immobile.

"Hey!" Mei Lian yelled angrily, "That's cheating!"

My smirk remained in place as I climbed back into my Digger's Rig. "You gotta learn to use your environment to your advantage!" I called to her, before turning my attention back to Nibbles, "All right, buddy! Let's finish this! Saurus Lunge!"

Nibbles roared as he jumped off the cliff, putting all of his battle-fueled rage into his strike as he hit V-raptor with his arm, sending the Air-type carnivore flying before it turned back into a Dino Gear and returned to its fighter. Nibbles howled triumphantly before transforming back and returning to me. Mei Lian was speechless.

"I…I…" she stuttered, trying to put her thoughts into words. I drive up alongside her.

"Come on, Mei Lian." I said gently, "Let's go back to the Fossil Park."

She didn't respond, too shocked for words, but she followed me all the way back to the Park. When we parked our vehicles and left the Garage, she stopped me, looking down apologetically, unable to meet my eyes from the sheer weight of her shame.

"I'm…I'm sorry." she said quietly, "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have been so mad at you earlier."

"Oh, it's all right." I assured her, "No harm done."

Mei Lian looked up at me, smiling, "I want you to know that I'm no longer angry about that whole rogue vivosaur thing." She grinned, stepping forward slightly. "I kinda feel like I understand you better."

I tried to resist the urge to step back. "Really?"

"Yeah! In fact…" she answered, before throwing her arms around me and yelling happily, "I think I like you!"

My eyes widened as my face turned bright red. "Um…"

"And your little vivosaur buddy, too!" she added happily as she let go, smiling down at Nibbles.

"Grr?" Nibbles growled in question.

"That's…great?" I muttered, still flustered at Mei Lian's choice of words. I then lurched back in surprise as the excitable girl suddenly appeared right in front of me.

"So what do you say? Let's be Paleo Pals!" she asked me, grabbing my hands and staring at my face with wide, hopeful eyes. Looking into them, I could see how much she wanted me to accept, the sincerity in her plea. How could I say no to that face?

"Sounds great!" I agreed, gripping the other girl's hands in return and smiling brightly.

"Oh yay!" Mei Lian cried joyfully, jumping up and down like an excited child, "I haven't been this happy in forever! Hurry and register me! C'mon! C'mon!"

I smiled at her child-like energy. When I registered her as my Paleo Pal, she placed her hands on her hips, grinning smugly.

"I bet you're pretty happy right now, huh?" Mei Lian said, not even asking, "Not everybody gets a Paleo Pal as cool as me. Having me on your team is like having a fighter with the white-hot strength of ten thousand fiery suns!"

"Still such a child." I thought, smiling in fond exasperation.

"Gruh?" Nibbles grunted, sounding pained.

"Nibbles?" I asked, suddenly concerned. He had his head down and his eyes were squeezed shut. It looked way too similar to when we first encountered the Dinodisc.

"Hm? What's wrong with him?" Mei Lian asked, not quite as worried as I was.

Nibbles lowered his head further, as if to curl up while still standing, and began trembling.

"GRAAAAAAAAAUGH!" he roared as his body began glowing, just like it did when he transformed.

"Mei Lian! Get down!" I yelled, throwing myself to the ground and taking the other girl down with me as Nibbles transformed.

"Woah!" Mei Lian cried in surprise, though not from my actions.

Nibbles now stood taller than Gorgo. He had a massive head, with an equally-huge yellow horn protruding from his nose. Three yellow spines rose from the back of his neck. The spines on his tail were gone, and his green stripes had become more numerous. Two of the teeth at the back of his jaw on each side overlapped with his upper jaw, causing them to remain exposed, even when his mouth was closed.

Nibbles looked around at himself, his green eyes narrowing in confidence as he smirked. He raised his head and roared proudly, relishing his newfound power, before returning to his normal form. He walked over to me and growled questioningly, as if seeking my approval.

"Wow…" I muttered, staring at him in awe, "What happened to you, buddy?"

"Wooo!" Mei Lian yelled excitedly, "That was super cool! The transforming vivosaur transformed!" She then titled her head, aware of how weird that sounded, "…Er…more so!" The karate girl bounced up and down, looking, more than ever, like an excited child. "I bet he might even transform again if you wait long enough!" she said to me before throwing her arms in the air and singing, "This is gonna be awesome!" She then spontaneously calmed down and turned her attention back to me. "Anyway, I better scoot. See ya around, pal!" She gave me another quick hug and walked away. Once she was out of earshot, another voice called out.

"Hey, Tria!" I turned to see Nate walking up to me, with Penny and Roland right behind him. "You did it! I knew you could never back down from a challenge!"

"You're amazing, Tria!" Penny cheered happily.

"I don't know how you do it, Tria." Roland stated, his voice soft with awe, "I can't imagine what I'd have done if a veteran Warden had challenged ME!"

"I'm sure you would've done just fine." I assured the big-bodied male, smiling at all of my friends, "Thanks, guys." I then looked around at the crowd of people that had gathered around us, likely in response to Nibbles' transformation. "Hey, guys, do you think you could…?" I trailed off, gesturing to the crowd. Nibbles snarled dangerously, pressing himself against my legs.

"Sure thing, Tria!" Penny said, sounding slightly embarrassed as she turned to the civilians, "Come on, everybody! Get on with whatever you were doing!"

Roland and Nate looked at each other before joining their colleague in clearing the crowd. Nibbles and I smiled at each other. Once the spectators were gone, Nate approached me again.

"So, how'd it go with Mei Lian? Was she less crazy, at least?" he asked.

I laughed. "She's not so bad."

Nate sighed, as did Penny and Roland. "Oh man. That's a relief." he said, turning to Nibbles with a familiar grin on his face, "I didn't think that this little vivosaur of yours would stand a chance, but I didn't want to…"

"Don't say it." I thought, groaning inwardly.

"BUTT in! Hee hee hee!" He laughed, turning and patting his butt in front of Nibbles.

"Grrr!" Nibbles growled, irritated, before biting down on the chunk of flesh offered to him.

"AUGH!" Nate screamed, "Those fangs! Those horrible fangs! Owww! Owww! Oweeeeeeee! Please, Mr. Vivosaur! Don't eat my butt! I need it to shake on the dance floor!"

"GRRR!" Nibbles roared at him, " _Serves you right!_ "

Penny, Roland, and I sweatdropped. "He never learns…" I muttered.

Nate lay on the ground, groaning in pain. Penny sighed as she grabbed one of his arms, lifting him. Roland took Nate's other arm so that they were both supporting him.

"At some point, I'm going to remember not to taunt him with that thing!" the pink-haired male moaned.

"Let's hope so!" Penny agreed in a scolding tone. Roland looked at me, smiling awkwardly.

"Sorry about this, Tria. We'll take Nate back to his room." he told me.

"Thanks guys." I said gratefully, smiling in amusement.

"Oh yeah!" Penny said suddenly, looking at me, "There was someone looking for you, Tria!"

"Oh?" I asked, wondering who'd be looking for me.

"Yeah." Penny replied, "She was a pretty lady with a ponytail. She had kind of an American accent."

"An American accent?" I said thoughtfully, "Must be Becky. I wonder what she wants."

"Well, you might want to go see. You know, in case it's something important." Roland suggested to me as he and Penny took the whining Nate to his room.

"Will do!" I called back, heading toward the World Gate, Nibbles following close behind.

" _…_ _Sorry…_ " he growled apologetically, looking up at me with regretful eyes.

"For what?" I asked, looking at the little vivosaur, "For biting Nate's butt? You needn't apologize for that. He was asking for it."

" _No._ " Nibbles snorted dismissively before becoming downcast again, " _For transforming. In front of all those humans. I know you don't want my abilities known, but…_ " he trailed off, looking at the ground as he refused to meet my gaze.

" _Nibbles._ " I purred gently, kneeling in front of my smaller partner, "That transformation. Did you mean to do it?" When the little vivosaur shook his head, I lifted his chin, making him look up at me. "When have I ever been angry at someone for something they couldn't help?" He shook his head again, and I smiled. "So don't worry about it. The humans were bound to find out about your abilities sooner or later. We both knew that. So there's no need for you to apologize."

" _Ok._ " Nibbles muttered, smiling up at me, " _Thanks, Tria._ "

"No problem." I said, glad that my little buddy was feeling better, "Now come on! We need to get to America!"

Nibbles and I grinned at each other as we both took off for the World Gate, feeling closer than ever as we headed off toward our next adventure.


	14. SneakingShadowsAndTheMysteriousPredator

When I got to the American Fossil Park, I was immediately greeted by Leon.

"Hey, Tria." he said, smiling at me. He's been smiling a lot more since he opened up to me. "You here to see what Becky wants?"

"Yep." I replied, smiling back, "Sorry if I'm late."

"You should be." Leon teased, smirking as he placed one hand on his hip, ruffling my hair with the other, "Becks is pacing around the Chief's office, anxious for you to arrive."

"I see." I said, swatting his hand away playfully as we both headed for the elevator, "Well we'd better not keep her waiting!"

While we waited for the elevator to reach Sean's office, Leon put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his side. I let him, sighing tiredly.

"I heard you and the little guy defeated a veteran Warden in Fossil Park Asia. And he got some new transformation."

I hummed in confirmation, nodding against the taller male's side. "News sure travels fast, doesn't it."

Leon chuckled. "What do you expect?" He remained quiet for a moment, then said more gently, "You're really making a name for yourself, you know."

I looked up at my Paleo Pal, arching an eyebrow in question. "I am?"

Leon chuckled again, pulling me closer in an affectionate embrace. "Of course. With all the things you've accomplished, I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

"I've never paid much attention to gossip." I replied, standing up straighter as the elevator doors began to open, "Look. We're here."

As Leon, Nibbles, and I stepped out of the elevator, we saw Becky pacing back and forth anxiously, alternating between looking out of the window, examining the large T-rex head fossil at the side of the room, and pacing around in a circle. When she spotted us during one of her circles, she made a bee-line for us.

"Ah! Leon! You found her!" Becky said, her tone a mix of relief and joy, "Thanks for coming, Tria."

"No problem." I said, my smile not faltering, "What can I do for you?"

"I have a little favor to ask you." she replied, looking between me and Leon, "Both of you, actually."

"Huh?" Leon and I both looked at each other in confusion.

Becky nodded, her face becoming anxious again. "We've got trouble out in one of our dig sites- a hot, arid place called Dusty Steppes. I'm not sure what's going on exactly, which is why I called you."

"Wait a second!" Leon barked suddenly, "Why'd you call Tria for this? I could've handled this on my own!"

"That's EXACTLY why I called Tria!" Becky snapped back, "We don't know what's going on, so it's too dangerous for any Warden to go alone! I was going to bring you with me on this investigation, but you'll only work with Tria, so I decided to ask her to join as well."

"I've worked with other people before!" Leon growled as he and Becky glared at each other.

"No, you've taken Lucky on a few missions where you've done nearly all the work!" Becky retorted angrily, "The only person you ever truly work with is Tria!"

"Guys! Enough!" I yelled, placing myself in between the two quarreling Wardens, "It doesn't matter why I was called here! What matters is that I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere until we figure out what's going on!"

The two Wardens stopped arguing and stared at me in surprise.

"So…" Becky hummed, "Does that mean you're in?"

"Yep!" I said cheerfully, "This mission has piqued my interest. I want to know what's going on, and you BOTH are coming with me!"

Leon and Becky stared at me, still somewhat shocked by the ferocity of my response. Becky, recovering first, grinned at me.

"Oh, that's great!" she said happily, "Let's go! Hurry!"

At her command, Leon, Nibbles, and I followed the senior Warden to the Dusty Steppes.

Dusty Steppes was a desert in every sense of the word. The large sand dunes towered over the rocky cliffs, and sandstorms battered the landscape. Despite the tough condition, I could still see large vivosaurs wondering around the arid dig site. Leon and I drove to Becky's Bone Buggy as she began to speak through the radio.

"Ok, so here's the problem…" she began, "There's a road in the back of the Dusty Steppes that's become blocked somehow. Let's get back there and see what's up!"

"Man…" Leon muttered, "And here I was expecting this to be a difficult mission…"

"Can it, Leon!" I barked at the purple-haired punk, "You of all people should know not to let your guard down on any mission, no matter how easy it seems! That attitude's what got you in trouble last time!"

Leon winced at my words. "Low blow, Tria…"

"Come on, you two!" Becky called to us, "We shouldn't be squabbling right now! We have to find out what's caused the path to be blocked."

"Right!" I said excitedly, driving after Becky.

"Yeah, yeah…" Leon muttered, sulking, as he lazily followed us.

We drove deeper into the Dusty Steppes, our senses on high alert (with one exception). In a narrow rocky canyon, likely created from millions of years of being bombarded by sandstorms, we were ambushed by a Lophus, which tried to pounce on us from a rocky path arching over the main road. However, Leon's Ptera finished it off before it even touched the ground.

"Hmph. What'd you expect?" Leon smirked at his victory. Becky and I rolled our eyes.

After about 10 minutes of following the main path, the three of us ran into the problem. A huge boulder loomed over us, blocking the path.

"Hmm…This boulder seems to be our problem." Becky stated, nodding matter-of-factly.

"Gee, you don't say." Leon growled sarcastically. Becky glared at him, disregarding his comment.

"We'll never move this thing on our own." she continued, "We'll need a front-end loader or something." Becky then looked over the large boulder again, a look of confusion on her face. "What the heck is this rock doing here in the first place?"

"Maybe it fell there?" Leon suggested, "There are plenty of cliffs around."

"I don't think so." I said, driving closer to the boulder, "This placement is a little too precise to be just a random act of nature."

"Maybe a vivosaur, then." Leon replied, "Didn't that Gorgo drop rocks on you?"

"He did." I agreed, placing a hand on the carnivore's Dino Gear to soothe the guilt radiating from it, "But I don't see why a vivosaur would go through all that trouble. Has there been a vivosaur known for doing that here, Becky?"

"Not that I know of." Becky answered, clearly at a loss for why the boulder was there.

"Then that leaves only one explanation." I said, getting out of my Digger's Rig and approaching the boulder on foot.

"Tria! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Leon exclaimed as his and Becky's eyes widened, "Get back into your Bone Buggy before a rogue vivosaur shows up!"

"Don't worry. I won't be long." I replied, unconcerned.

"Tria!" Becky yelled, "As your senior, I order you to return to your Bone Buggy RIGHT NOW!"

"Yes ma'am!" I yelled, saluting as I climbed back into my Bone Buggy, "I found what I was looking for anyway."

"And just what was that?" Leon growled, irritated that I had made him worry.

"Tire tracks." I replied, "The boulder is surrounded by them."

"What?!" Becky and Leon both exclaimed, driving as close as they could to the boulder.

"Holy crap! You're right!" Becky cried, "Someone dropped this rock here on purpose!"

Leon growled, "When I get my hands on whoever did this, there's gonna be hell to pay!"

"Settle down, Leon! We shouldn't act rashly!" I called to my fellow graduate. I looked to Becky for assistance, but she seemed to be preoccupied.

"This smells fishy…" she muttered, more to herself than to either of us, "Heck, this smells like a whole trawler!" She then backed up, turning her light blue Heavy Hauler to a gate next to the blocked path. Behind the gate were several rings of moving quicksand surrounding a cactus, with a path beyond it leading deeper into the dig site.

"There's no choice…" the American Warden muttered, "We have to break down the gate!"

"Really?!" I exclaimed, a little apprehensive about breaking down a gate without permission.

"What are you-?" Leon was beginning to ask when Becky slammed her Heavy Hauler into the gate, smashing through it effortlessly. "Hey!"

"Look at this, you two." Becky ordered us. When Leon and I drove next to her, she continued, "This is a secret route known only to Wardens. We'll have to plow our way through the moving sand and head up that little trail."

"Are you sure?" I asked, looking at the moving sand worriedly. Becky's Heavy Hauler and Leon's Turf Shredder were specifically designed to handle terrain like that; my Digger's Rig was not.

"Come on, Tria!" Leon yelled impatiently, driving through the moving sand easily.

"You can do it, Tria!" Becky encouraged me, also having already reached the other side.

I gulped uneasily, hesitantly pressing my foot to the accelerator. Almost as soon as my Bone Buggy's wheels touched the moving sand, they started to be dragged along.

"Tria!" Becky called urgently, "Don't let your wheels get caught in the sand! Keep driving forward!"

Clenching my teeth, I floored the accelerator, plowing through the sand. When I reached the cactus at the center of the circle, my Bone Buggy ran into something hidden in the sand.

"Tria! What-?" I heard Leon yell, but his voice was cut off what the sudden stop threw me to the front of my Bone Buggy, causing me to hit my radio's power button.

"What the heck?" I growled in frustration as I saw what I had hit. I saw what looked like a round red rock with black spikes surrounding it. "Oh no…" Nibbles growled.

Out of the sand, right in front of where I had stopped, the Fire-type, hardheaded Stygi jumped out at me, taking a menacing stance as it snarled at me. Nibbles growled, preparing to jump out of the Bone Buggy to fight.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed across the small clearing. Nibbles froze, his eyes wide. The Stygi screamed in terror, taking off through the broken gate. I floored the accelerator once more, quickly plowing through the rest of the sand to rejoin the rest of my group.

"Did you hear that roar?!" Leon's terrified voice greeted me the moment I turned my radio back on, "What the hell was that?!"

"I've never heard anything like it…" Becky whispered, her voice trembling.

"Don't worry." I gasped, "Whatever that thing was, it's gone now. Let's get back to the task at hand."

"R-Right." Leon and Becky stuttered as they followed me down the sandy path, which was rough and uneven from disuse.

As we drove through a cavern and into another section of the desert, Becky looked around suspiciously.

"That's strange." she said warily, "I haven't seen any vivosaurs since we passed the moving sand. There should be vivosaurs here."

"Maybe we're getting closer to whoever put the boulder there." I suggested.

"Or maybe that massive vivosaur has scared them all way." Leon said pessimistically, looking around nervously.

"I hope you're right, Tria." Becky mumbled, shuddering, "If that vivosaur is here, we're in trouble."

"I doubt it is." I said, trying to sound reassuring, "I don't see any large or abnormal footprints around, and I don't feel any tremors that would signal the approach of a large vivosaur. I do see more tire tracks, though."

"Hey! You're right!" Becky exclaimed, getting excited at the thought of catching the ones who disrupted the American dig site. She also seemed relieved to have something to distract her from thinking about whatever scared off the Stygi in the moving sand pit. Leon still seemed unsure, but he followed us without further discussion.

About a minute later, we came to another narrow canyon that led to a cave at the very back of the dig site. The cliff walls surrounding the path were so tall that they blocked much of the sunlight, plunging us into an eerie darkness.

"Careful, guys." Becky warned us, "There's no tellin' what we're gonna find in here."

"I just hope your theory is right, Tria." Leon said, his voice uneasy.

"Why? Don't think you could take on the super-predator we heard earlier?" I asked, unable to resist the urge to tease him.

"Of course I could!" Leon cried defensively, although he didn't sound as confident as usual, "It's just that Ptera can't fight to his full abilities with these stupid walls in the way!"

"Hush, you two!" Becky shushed us harshly, "Someone's here!"

Sure enough, as we drove to the cavern's entrance, we saw the source of the tire tracks. Three Light 4WD Bone Buggies were parked at the other end of the cave. One of them, a black-and-green one, was digging for something buried in the wall. The other two, a black-and-red and a black-and-blue, were standing guard.

"Those Bone Buggies shouldn't be here." Becky stated suspiciously.

"Let's see what they're up to." I said, tuning my radio to their frequency.

"Hey! Found it yet?" one of the guys yelled, presumably to the one who was digging.

"The sonar's pinging like crazy!" the one digging replied, sounding anxious, "It's gotta be around here somewhere!"

"Hurry it up already!" the third guy yelled hastily, "We need it if we're gonna restore the BR Brigade to its former glory!"

"The BR Brigade?!" Becky gasped in horror.

"You mean that evil gang the Captain wiped out five years ago?!" Leon exclaimed, a mixture of anger and fear in his voice.

"So these are the guys who blocked the path with the boulder." I surmised, glancing at Becky and Leon, "Look at them, struttin' around like they own the place…"

True to their prideful reputations, the two American Wardens growled, my comment fueling their rage at having their precious dig site invaded.

"This aggression will not stand!" Becky yelled, "Are you two ready to throw down?!"

"Hell yeah!" Leon agreed, baring his teeth, "Let's go, Tria!"

"Right!" I yelled in affirmation as the three of us drove forward, toward the unwelcome Bone Buggies.

"CHAAARGE!" Becky roared, catching our quarries' attention.

"Aw, nuts!" one guy yelled in frustration, "Wardens!"

"I thought we blocked the road!" another cried.

"All right, you!" Becky addressed the group, her voice taking on an authoritative tone, "Step out of the Bone Buggies and surrender, or this is gonna get ugly FAST!"

"Dang it…" the guy in the black-and-blue vehicle muttered, "We were so close…"

"Woah…" I thought, "These guys might actually surrender! That'd be a first."

"H-Hey! Hey!" the excavating member suddenly cried out, "I found it! I found the Mega Electrominite fossil!"

"Then hurry up and excavate it!" one of the guarding members commanded as he and his comrade drove up to face us, "We'll take care of these do-gooders…" He and his comrade then sent out their vivosaurs: Stygi and Dimetro.

"Tria!" Becky yelled to me, "Go after the one that's digging! Leon and I will handle these jokers!"

"Roger!" I yelled, driving toward the black-and-green Bone Buggy.

"Guys! I got it! I got the Mega Electrominite fossil!" the driver cried excitedly, turning to his comrades, only to wind up facing me, "Ah! A Warden!"

"Why hello there." I said, smirking smugly at the fear in his voice, "May I ask why you need that specific fossil so badly?"

"None of your business!" he cried in retaliation, sending out his own vivosaur: an Amargo. The Amargo's eyes glowed with an inexplicable hatred and rage.

"So you wanna fight, huh?" I asked, rhetorically, "You're gonna regret that." I then sent out my main Water-type vivosaur: Thalasso.

"Ha ha ha!" my opponent laughed, suddenly confident, "You're gonna fight me with that little thing?! My Amargo'll crush it like a bug!"

Thalasso shrieked, the insult not lost on him, while I smirked. "You really shouldn't underestimate your opponents. It'll only end with your defeat."

"Silence!" the digger bellowed, his fear of being caught fueling his frustration with my interference, "I'll show you what happens when you mess with the BR Brigade!"

"Bring it!" I challenged, Thalasso's screech backing me up.

At its fighter's order, Amargo charged at Thalasso, bellowing as its strides shook the entire cavern.

"Wing Blaster, Thalasso!" I ordered, my calm battle state setting in. The flying Water-type shrieked as he flapped his wings, the strong wind he created stopping the large sauropod in its tracks.

"What?!" my opponent cried in shock, "How could such a tiny vivosaur halt my Amargo's charge?!"

"I told you not to underestimate." I hummed, shaking my head. My gaze then hardened as I traded glances with Thalasso, who nodded, as ready to end this as I was. "Thalasso. Middle Spear!"

The flying vivosaur shrieked and dove at his opponent, flipped once in the air, and seemed to fly straight through it. The Amargo bellowed in pain as it dissolved into light and flew back to its fighter as a Dino Gear.

"I-Impossible…" the digger muttered, backing away, "I…Amargo…we couldn't even touch you…"

"I did warn you." I told him, driving forward, "Now, if you would please hand over that Mega Electrominite…"

I trailed off as I heard a scream from the other battle. I turned to see Ptera and Big Allo being pushed back by the Dimetro they were facing. The Stygi had already been defeated, but the Dimetro's poison attacks, combined with the fighters' combined use of LP Recovery Support Shots, were putting Ptera and Big Allo at a disadvantage.

"Rrgh…" Leon growled in frustration.

"No! Not like this!" Becky cried, not wanting to lose this battle.

"Ha ha! This is what happens when you defy the BR Brigade!" the fighter of the Dimetro yelled triumphantly. He'd clearly won many battles with that tactic. I glared at our opponents, angered by the taunts they were sending to my friends. Nibbles growled.

Suddenly, everyone froze as a monstrous roar shook the cavern walls. The battling vivosaurs, along with Thalasso, shrieked in terror and returned to their fighters as Dino Gears. Said fighters looked around frantically, eyes wide as they searched for the source of the terrifying call.

"What the hell?! What is that?!" one of the BR Brigade thugs screamed, panicking.

"It's the super predator from before!" Becky yelled, turning toward the cavern's entrance, "It must live here, and it doesn't sound too happy at our intrusion."

"We've gotta get outta here, before that thing shows up!" Leon cried urgently.

"I couldn't agree more!" the leader of the BR thugs yelled as he and his comrades headed for the exit, "The lieutenants are doing their jobs in the tournaments, so we need to hold up our end! Eat smoke, Wardens!" And with that, they disappeared in a burst of pitch-black smoke.

"Hey!" Becky cried in frustration, "Darn it! They escaped! This is bad!"

"Forget it, Becky!" Leon yelled, "Right now, we need to get out of here before that monster shows up! Come on, Tria!"

"Right!" I called back, driving forward. Everyone jumped when another noise, shorter but just as loud, echoed around the cave.

"What was that?!" Becky cried.

"Was that the monster?" Leon yelled, also near panic.

"Not quite." I said reassuringly, "That was Nibbles. He sneezed."

"…he sneezed?" Becky and Leon asked, sounding tired and exasperated.

"Grah." Nibbles growled quietly in apology. The two American Wardens sighed as I patted his head.

"Let's just go." Becky said anxiously as we drove back to the entrance, still on the lookout for the mysterious super predator, "We need to report our findings to Sean and the Captain."

"Right!" Leon and I agreed, and we left the Dusty Steppes, heading back toward the American Fossil Park at top speed.


	15. Prepare for Anything

Once we got back to Fossil Park America, Becky and Leon led me into the Fossil Center, where we stopped.

"Leon and I will report this incident to Sean. You go report to the Captain." Becky told me.

"I'm on it." I replied, saluting her before turning to head through the World Gate. However, Becky stopped me.

"Hold on, Tria." she said, grabbing my arm. I turned back to her, arching my eyebrow. She smiled, "I have a feeling things are gonna be getting tough pretty soon. If you need my help, I'll be there for you."

My eyes widened. "You mean…?"

"Yep!" she chirped happily, "We're gonna be Paleo Pals!"

"Nice!" I said excitedly as we registered each other. Becky and I grinned.

"Anytime you need me, just give me a holler, and I'll be there." the American girl told me, smiling. When she left for the elevator, Leon walked up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"And don't you worry about that monster in Dusty Steppes. We'll take care of it!" he told me, somehow managing to smile reassuringly and smirk confidently at the same time. I laughed.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it!" I said, smiling. My gaze then hardened as I placed my hand over his. "Just promise me you won't try to take it on alone."

Leon smiled, squeezing my hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm not stupid."

"I know." I replied, smiling as well. I patted his hand once more before walking through the World Gate, returning to Fossil Park Asia. As I stepped into the Fossil Center, I was immediately greeted by Yamamoto, who seemed to have been heading from Professor Little's lab.

"Oh, hey Tria!" he said when he saw me, "I heard you fought a member of the BR Brigade! That's amazing!"

My eyes widened. "Where did he hear that? I only did that about 10 minutes ago." I smiled sheepishly, stating dismissively, "Oh, it wasn't that impressive. I did have Leon and Becky with me."

"Even so, it takes courage to face a dark vivosaur." Yamamoto insisted, gleaming with admiration.

I narrowed my eyes as Nibbles tensed next to me. "Dark vivosaur? You mean that secret weapon Nate mentioned?"

Yamamoto nodded. "A few years ago, Dr. Blackraven discovered a terrible source of power called dark energy. If you infuse a vivosaur with dark energy, it turns into a dark vivosaur. It's a way to make vivosaurs incredible powerful!" Yamamoto then adjusted his glasses, his face grim. "But it comes at a terrible price. Dark energy corrupts anything it comes into contact with-including living tissue. Any vivosaur that's exposed to it will become filled with hatred and rage. Even the most powerful vivosaurs can only handle a limited amount of dark energy!"

"Hatred and rage?" I thought, looking down at Nibbles, who was looking at the ground, clenching his teeth. I thought back to the Amargo I had faced in the cavern, how its eyes burned with that unnatural rage.

Yamamoto then said something that caught my attention, "There are whispers around the lab that Dr. Blackraven is looking for a new kind of vivosaur. One that can absorb unlimited amounts of dark energy. If he were to find such a creature…" The blue-clad boy shuddered. "Just thinking about it is making my hands all sweaty!"

"Yeah…" I muttered, fully aware of the nearly-undetectable whimpers coming from Nibbles' throat.

Yamamoto shook his head. "Anyway, I think I've talked long enough. Good luck with your duties, Tria!"

"Thanks, Yamamoto!" I said, appreciative of the information he'd given me. Once he left, I walked into a darkened corner away from everything and everyone and knelt down in front of Nibbles, who had followed me out of habit.

" _So that's it, huh?_ " I purred quietly, not really asking.

" _I don't know what you're talking about._ " Nibbles replied stubbornly, turning away from me.

I sighed pityingly, then nodded in understanding. " _Very well. I won't push you._ " I stood up and walked toward the elevator, motioning for Nibbles to follow. "Come on, buddy. We still need to report to the Captain."

Nibbles looked up at me, still somewhat apprehensive, but nodded and followed me nonetheless. Neither of us said anything the whole ride up.

"Welcome back, Tria." Captain Stryker greeted me when I entered.

"Greetings, Tria." Professor Little, who was also there, said.

"Sorry to rush you." Stryker said, "But could you give me a report of what happened at Dusty Steppes?"

I proceeded to give a full report of what happened at the arid dig site, starting with the return of the BR Brigade and what I had learned of their plans. At the end of the report, I gave a brief mention of the large predator we heard while there.

Once I'd finished, Stryker sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. "…So that's the skinny, huh? Interesting. I don't know how Dr. Blackraven did it, but it seems he's managed to bring back the BR Brigade."

"Even more extraordinary is that they unearthed a Mega Electrominite fossil!" Little added, "One chunk of Mega Electrominite contains enough electricity to power a small city. But I cannot calculate why the BR Brigade would want such a thing."

"I'm sure it's for something terrible!" Stryker declared, slamming his hands on his desk, "Dr. Blackraven isn't the kind of person to use things for the power of good."

"I am also worried about this large predator Tria mentioned." Little put in, an anxious expression on his face, "Do you think we should do something about it?"

"No." Stryker said after a moment of thought, "We should let the American Wardens take care of that. It's in their jurisdiction, and besides, we have our own problems to deal with." He then looked at me. "Tria, in your report, you said you overheard one of the BR Brigade members say something about how their lieutenants were involved in some tournaments, correct?"

"That's right." I confirmed.

"Hmm…that's very troubling." Stryker muttered, "The truth is, we have two major tournaments coming up shortly. One is a Fossil Battle event being held here in Fossil Park Asia, and the other is a Time Attack GP over in Fossil Park Europe. We can't allow anything to happen to those tournaments…" He looked up at me with an authoritative gleam in his eyes. "And that's why I'm sending you to check on both of them!"

"Yes sir!" I said, saluting.

"They both take place tomorrow. The one here is in the morning, with the one in Europe taking place in the afternoon. Make sure to get some rest so that you're ready."

"Yes sir." I said again, turning and exiting the Captain's Office. Once Nibbles and I stepped out of the elevator, we headed immediately to our room.

"I think you should rest." I told him, "I'll go get us some food."

" _Whatever._ " Nibbles growled apathetically, curling up on my bed. I sighed as I took off his bandana, wondering how long it would take for him to return to normal. As I headed toward the kitchen, I ran into my Asian comrades.

"Tria!" Penny exclaimed, running up and hugging me, "You're back!"

"I heard you had to go to America for something!" Roland said in greeting, "You're as busy as usual!"

"Yeah, I guess." I replied, wrapping my arms around Penny in a return embrace. Nate then strode over to me, draping an arm over my shoulders.

"Yo, Tria!" he said, hyper as ever, "You gotta tell us about it! You always have interesting stories to tell!"

"I'd love to, Nate." I said, walking with them to the kitchen, "But Nibbles and I are very tired, and this most recent incident is rather disturbing."

"Incident?" Roland asked curiously.

"Disturbing?" Nate squeaked anxiously.

"Can we help?" Penny suggested hopefully.

I thought about it as I collected my and Nibbles' food. On one hand, I doubted that Stryker would want the news of the BR Brigade's return to get out, but on the other hand, I could use their help in the tournaments. Besides, Yamamoto had already heard about my battle with the BR Brigade, so they'd probably hear it from him, if not someone else, soon. I was snapped out of my ponderings by Nate's inquisitive voice.

"By the way, where is the can-chomper, anyway?" he asked, looking around nervously.

"Would you please stop calling him that?" I asked, annoyed, "He's in my room, resting. He's not feeling well."

"On no! Is he okay?" Penny asked, suddenly concerned.

"I think so. He's just tired." I replied, heading back to the room, "You guys wait outside. He's not in a very good mood."

My friends nodded, and I entered the room, setting Nibbles' dinner in front of him. I placed my hand on his head, my expression becoming concerned. I looked at the door, certain that my friends were still listening, and, not wanting to cause a fuss, knelt in front of my little vivosaur partner, speaking quietly.

" _You feel a little warm. Are you sure you're okay?_ " I asked.

" _I'm fine!_ " he barked at me, glaring tiredly, " _I just need to rest…_ "

" _All right._ " I replied, " _I'm going to go discuss tomorrow's plans with the others. Call to me if you need anything._ "

Nibbles snorted, turning his head away from me. I stood back and left the room, closing the door quietly behind me.

"How is he?" Penny asked me the moment the door closed.

"He's tired." I replied, "He needs rest." I then looked at the three Wardens critically, before gesturing back toward the kitchen, where I had left my dinner. "If you want to hear about this latest incident, follow me, but keep it quiet. It could cause some panic if it gets out."

My friends looked at each other before turning back to me, nodding solemnly. They followed me into the kitchen, where we all sat down with our meals, their eyes focused intently on me. I sighed, checking to make sure there wasn't anyone around to eavesdrop.

"The BR Brigade is back." I said seriously. That got an immediate response, which I expected.

"WHAT?!" Nate screamed, causing Penny and Roland to cover his mouth to quiet him. Once he had lowered his voice, they removed their hands and returned their attention to me, their eyes wide and voices trembling. Nate leaned forward and whispered harshly, "What are you talking about, Tria? Captain Stryker put a stop to the BR Brigade five years ago!"

"Yeah!" Roland said, whispering as well, "Dr. Blackraven is locked up in an unknown, secluded place. How could he have brought back the BR Brigade from there?"

"I don't claim to know that." I replied, my voice calm and quiet, although I was not whispering, "I just know that they're back. I battled some of their lackeys alongside Becky and Leon. They had placed a boulder on the main path in the Dusty Steppes dig site, which was why I was called there in the first place."

"…But I don't understand." Penny said after I had paused to let this sink in, "Why would they block the road? Wouldn't that just attract attention?"

"They probably didn't mean it to be a permanent solution." I explained, "Just enough to buy time to excavate a Mega Electrominite fossil."

"A Mega Electrominite fossil? What's that?" Roland asked.

"I remember Yamamoto mentioning it." Penny supplied, "Isn't it a fossil that contains enough electricity to power a small city?"

I nodded, and the group began whispering to each other.

"What would the BR Brigade want with something like that?" Roland asked anxiously.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Nate muttered, sounding terrified.

"What are we going to do now?" Penny asked, looking to me for guidance. The other two followed suit.

"We don't know what the Mega Electrominite is for, but we do know this." I said, catching their attention once again, "There are two tournaments taking place tomorrow, and the BR Brigade's lieutenants are planning to interfere in some way. It is my job to keep an eye on and protect those tournaments."

The three Wardens looked at each other, processing what I had said, before Roland spoke up.

"So…where are these tournaments?" he asked.

"The one in the morning is a Fossil Battle tournament here in Fossil Park Asia. The one in the afternoon is a Time Attack in Fossil Park Europe. I have to enter both so that I can make sure nothing happens to them."

"What's a Time Attack?" Roland asked in confusion.

"Oh, I know what those are!" Penny piped up, "Dahlia told me about them. It's basically a race. People drive their Bone Buggies from one point to another, and whoever gets there the fastest wins."

"That sounds like something Dahlia would like…" Nate muttered. He then perked up slightly and asked me, "Wait a minute. Isn't Dahlia stationed in Europe? Why can't she handle the Time Attack tournament?"

"Because she would enjoy too much." I replied, earning me some confused stares. Seeing that they didn't understand, I elaborated, "You guys know how Dahlia gets when she races. She loses track of everything else around her. If something happened during the tournament, she likely wouldn't even notice."

The three across from me sweatdropped, glancing at each other again.

"…you do have a point." Penny sighed, shaking her head.

"All right." Nate said, snapping the others out of their stupor, "Quick question. Why weren't we informed about this? We didn't even know about these tournaments until you told us." He sounded insulted. Penny and Roland looked at each other, apparently thinking the same thing.

"You seem to forget." I said, my tone calm and firm, "That this information is almost as new to the Captain as it is to you. He hasn't had time to tell you anything." I then looked toward the elevator. "If you want, I can call the Captain and see if he'd be willing to debrief you on the situation at hand himself."

The trio glanced nervously at each other before violently shaking their heads, as if I was threatening to report them for misconduct or something. I smirked.

"Back to the point. I am entering the tournament, but I cannot do so alone. That's why I need your help." I said, looking at them seriously, "Are any of you able and willing to help me?"

"Sure!" Penny yelled enthusiastically, "I'll help you, Tria!"

I smiled at her enthusiasm, but then I saw hesitation on Roland's face, so I turned my attention to him.

"Uh, Penny…" he mumbled, glancing between me and the excited blond, "Remember? We have to…"

Penny looked at the overweight brunette, first in confusion, before her eyes widened in realization and she facepalmed.

"Oh crap! I completely forgot!" she cried, turning to me apologetically, "I'm sorry, Tria, but Roland and I can't help you. We have another assignment."

"There's a group of kids coming here on a field trip to see the Fossil Park, and we've been assigned to be their guides." Roland explained, sounding guilty that he couldn't help me either. I smiled in understanding.

"Of course. Don't worry about it. Just make sure to keep the kids safe if the BR Brigade does show up." I told them warmly.

"Of course!" Penny said, determination replacing her guilt.

"Will do!" Roland added, glad that I wasn't mad at him.

I then turned to Nate, who had remained silent. "What say you, Nate? Are you busy, too?"

The pink-haired male jumped at the sound of my voice, and he looked between me and his comrades nervously.

"Uh…yeah…." he muttered, sounding unsure, "I have…stuff I have to do…"

I arched an eyebrow. This guy is a terrible liar. Penny and Roland looked about to pounce on Nate, but I held up my hand, quieting them.

"Of course. I understand. Just make sure to watch out for the BR Brigade." I told him, getting up.

"Where are you going, Tria?" Penny asked as I placed my dishes in the sink.

"I'm heading out." I replied, turning my head to glance at them, "I have a long day tomorrow, and there are still some preparations I must attend to."

"But it's 8:30!" Roland exclaimed, "It's getting late, and it'll be completely dark soon!"

"I know." I muttered under my breath, before turning back to the group and smiling, "Don't worry! I have my vivosaurs with me, so I'll be fine!"

My friends looked at each other, still concerned. Before they could protest, however, I left, hurrying to my room to check on Nibbles.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" I asked gently, my voice soft and quiet. I lightly stroked the little vivosaur's head, earning me a soft whimper. I looked over at his steak, which was untouched. "Not hungry, huh?" I asked. Nibbles shook his head, curling up into an even tighter ball. I nodded, retrieving the steak and covering him with the covers on my bed. "Then get some rest, little one. I still have some work to do, but I'll be back before morning." I said, smiling as I heard him snoring softly. I gave my small partner another quick, loving pat before leaving the Fossil Center.

I entered the Garage unseen, activating my Bone Buggy and driving out into Paradise Beach. I drove into the dig site, which was empty of activity due to a lack of nocturnal vivosaurs. What vivosaurs were still awake quickly ran and hid from me when I drove by.

Once I reached the clearing in the deepest part of the site, I sent out the rest of my team: Gorgo, Stego, Thalasso, and Diplo.

" _What's going on?_ " Stego asked, her calm, lazy temperament preventing her from getting irritated at being called out so late at night. Gorgo was not as calm.

" _What the hell are you thinking, calling us out here so late?!_ " he roared, gnashing his teeth in anger. Thalasso hovered in front of me, glaring at Gorgo.

" _Quit your griping!_ " the flying vivosaur shrieked at the Fire-type theropod, " _Lady Tria always does things for a reason, so suck it up and listen to her!_ "

" _You dare challenge me, beak brain?! I'll tear your little body to shreds!_ " Gorgo roared, charging at Thalasso with jaws agape.

" _Just try it, you lumbering oaf!_ " Thalasso screeched, flapping his wings as he prepared to attack.

" _Hang on, guys!_ " Diplo, the youngest (he had died and been fossilized as an adolescent) and most recent revival, cried, " _We shouldn't be fighting like this! We're a team! We should be working together!_ "

"My thoughts exactly." I said in agreement. I threw the steak that Nibbles hadn't eaten into Gorgo's mouth, forcing him to close it so he could swallow. "Thalasso's right. I did call you all out here for a reason."

My vivosaurs all turned to me, their eyes gleaming with curiosity. Thalasso perched on Stego's back plates, tilting his crested head to the side as he gave me his undivided attention. Diplo's head swayed from side to side as his tail thrashed in excitement, earning him an irritated glare from Gorgo. Stego just watched me, as calm and patient as ever.

"There are two tournaments tomorrow, both possibly rigged and dangerous. I'm gonna need all of your at the top of your game."

All of my vivosaurs looked at each other before Gorgo, in all of his temperamental boldness, spoke up again.

" _If you need us at our best, then why are you keeping us awake when we should be resting?!_ " he barked.

"I need you guys rested." I replied, unfazed by the carnivore's temper, "But I also need you guys stronger and more battle-experienced. That's why we're here."

" _At Paradise Beach?_ " Stego piped up before Gorgo could protest again, " _Don't we already vastly outrank every vivosaur here? Even if all of the vivosaurs here were awake and ready to fight, I doubt we'd gain much experience from them._ "

"And indeed you wouldn't, but you're not going to be fighting them." I replied, looking at each vivosaur to assess their reactions. As expected, Gorgo became impatient.

" _Quit beating around the bush!_ " he roared, enraged, " _Tell us why we're here!_ "

I grinned, jumping down from the roof of my Digger's Rig. I strode over to stand in front of the group of vivosaurs, all of them towering over me, and looked back up at them, unmoved by the daunting presence before me. As darkness set in, casting all of us in a nearly pitch-black shadow, I spoke a single command, my voice echoing across the silent beach.

" _Spar._ "


	16. The Rigged Tournaments Pt 1

The next morning I woke up to find Penny already dressed and ready to leave to meet the group of kids with Roland. As I sat up in bed, she turned to me.

"Good morning, Tria!" she greeted me happily, her smile as bright as the morning sunlight pouring through the window. My mind, still half-asleep, wondered if seeing Penny, Becky, and Sean smiling at once would blind me. The blond girl's grin then faded as a look of concern took over her face. "Where were you last night? You didn't come back until really late."

I looked at my roommate, arching an eyebrow. She had already fallen asleep when I had gotten back, although it appeared the she had tried to wait up for me; I had found a book in her lap, still open.

"Training." I said simply, getting up and stretching before grabbing my clothes and changing. I looked back over at her when I noticed her staring at me. "What?"

"Tria…" she said hesitantly, pointing to my leg, "There's a cut on your leg. Don't tell me you were training yourself?"

I looked down at the long gash on my leg, a sudden wave of nervousness overtaking me for a moment, though I hid it well. "Ah, yes. I was clumsy and scratched myself while getting out of my Bone Buggy. Don't worry. It's very shallow and I cleaned it well."

Penny still looked concerned and a little suspicious, but didn't press the issue further. She finished putting her long blond hair in its usual pigtails, wished me luck in the tournament, and left to meet Roland for their mission. I quickly finished getting dressed. I had my own job to do.

Once I was finished getting dressed, I reached over and gently shook Nibbles, who was still sleeping.

"Come on, buddy. It's time to get up. We have a job to do." I said softly, kneeling next to the little vivosaur. He growled tiredly, opening his eyes and looking groggily at me. He slowly stood up and yawned, nudging my hand in apology for missing last night's sparring session. I just smiled, encouraging him to get up so we could get breakfast as I tied his bandana.

After breakfast (Nibbles actually ate some of his steak, which was a good sign, although his appetite still hadn't fully returned), we reported to Liu Ren's office. He was apparently expecting me, because he was watching the door when I arrived. Mei Lian was standing next to his desk.

"Good morning, Tria." Liu Ren greeted me, as polite as ever, "We've been expecting you. The Captain informed us that the BR Brigade is planni-" He was cut off by a sudden angry scream from Mei Lian.

"Oooo! I HATE those boneheads!" she growled angrily, her hands balling into fists and shaking, "They make me so MAD! They better not set FOOT in Fossil Park Asia, I tell you! 'Cause if they do, I'll make them pay! I'll make them ALL pay!"

"All right, Mei Lian! We get it!" I cried, placing a hand on the hyper girl's shoulder, somehow managing to calm her.

"Thank you, Mei Lian." Liu Ren, sounding relieved that I had stopped the veteran Warden's rant. He then turned his attention back to business, crossing his arms as a serious look appeared on his face. "At any rate, I assume that our upcoming Fossil Battle tournament- the Parsec Cup- will be their main focus. It's set to begin very soon, and frankly, I'm more than a little worried. There will be many fighters and spectators there. It's the perfect chance for the BR Brigade to get up to mischief."

"I'm also worried about the kids that are here on a field trip. Penny and Roland are protecting them, but they may not be able to stand up to an ambush or a large assault." I added, my voice concerned. Nibbles yawned, which I ignored.

"Exactly." Liu Ren agreed with me, "That's why I need your help, Tria. Will you pretend to be an ordinary fighter and enter the Parsec Cup? You've only been a Warden for a little while, and despite your impressive accomplishments, you're still relatively unknown. That makes you perfect for the job."

I was about to accept the mission (it was what I had planned to do anyway), but I was interrupted by Mei Lian.

"Hey! I'M perfect for the job, too!" she explained, slamming her hands on Liu Ren desk as she looked him with wide, pleading eyes. Liu Ren was unmoved.

"You?" he asked, his calm voice holding just a hint of exasperation, "Don't be absurd. Everyone knows you." Mei Lian looked about to protest, but Liu Ren continued, cutting her off, "Remember last week? When you got mad and kicked the door off your own Bone Buggy? It was all over the news."

I snickered slightly at that. I had seen that report. It was funny. Mei Lian glared at the Asian Leader, who held her gaze unflinchingly, before visibly deflating, sighing with defeat. Liu Ren reached over and placed his hand over Mei Lian's, patting it consolingly.

"Don't worry, Mei Lian. I still need you to help Tria, just behind the scenes." he explained, his tone soothing, yet firm, "Understood?"

Mei Lian sighed again. "…Yeah, okay." she grumbled.

"Good." Liu Ren, smiling as he relaxed. Dealing with Mei Lian could be very difficult. He turned his attention back to me. "We're counting on you, Tria. You may choose your own team."

"About that." I said, looking between the two veteran Wardens, "Can people from other Fossil Parks join in the Parsec Cup?"

"I'm afraid not." Liu Ren said, shaking his head, "The Parsec Cup is for Asian Fighters only."

"I thought so." I said, my finger on my chin, "All of my comrades here are either busy or too well-known." I nodded to Mei Lian in sympathy, "Which leaves me without a team."

"Everyone?" Liu Ren asked, confused, "I remember Penny and Roland are guiding the tour group, though we could spare one of them, but I didn't think Nate was busy today…"

"He doesn't have a specific job." I replied, "But he's not confident enough in his own abilities to enter."

"I see…" Liu Ren muttered, "Then I can assign Nate to the tour group and give you Penny and Roland…"

"No." I refused, shaking my head, "The group, from what I've heard, consists mainly of children, and if the BR Brigade actually shows up, they're gonna need all of the protection they can get."

"That damn coward!" Mei Lian growled, stepping in front of Liu Ren's desk, "Please! Let me join! I'll even go undercover!"

Liu Ren shook his head, looking troubled. "No." he said, "They'd still recognize your V-raptor. It's as well-known as you are." Before Mei Lian could argue, Liu Ren continued, "Remember a few days ago, when it ripped through the roof of a Bone Buggy that got too close during a Fossil Battle?"

Mei Lian almost backed down, as she had before, but she then looked at me and her gaze hardened again. She turned back to the Asian leader, growling, "So what? You're just gonna send Tria all by herself? She can't fight teams of three on her own! She'll get crushed!"

Liu Ren's face tightened with displeasure. He didn't like the idea, either. I stepped forward.

"Says who?" I asked calmly. When the two veteran Wardens looked at me, I elaborated, "It wouldn't be the first time I've fought an entire team on my own. Fighters nowadays learn to battle with only one vivosaur at a time, but I learned to fight the way Fossil Battles used to be fought, with a team of three controlled by one person."

Liu Ren and Mei Lian looked at each other in astonishment.

"A team controlled by one person?" Liu Ren muttered, sounding more than a little suspicious, "I thought no one knew that technique anymore."

"I didn't know Fossil Battles COULD be fought like that!" Mei Lian said, suddenly looking at me with intense curiosity, "You have GOT to teach me the technique sometime!"

"Just hold on, Mei Lian." Liu Ren said sternly, the seriousness in his voice startling the excited girl into silence, "That method of fighting was banned after a group of rebellious fighters attempted to gain power by uniting their teams into a massive army. The Champion of the Caliosteo Islands and the Hero of Vivosaur Island were able to unite and lead a successful counterassault against the rebellion, but the fear of another take-over attempt made higher officials pass a rule limiting fighters to using only one vivosaur at a time. That's how we've done things ever since."

"Wait, seriously?!" Mei Lian screamed, looking absolutely stunned, "I've never heard that before!"

"That's because it was supposed to remain a secret." Liu Ren replied, looking at me suspiciously, "The leaders of that time decided that, to discourage people from learning to use more than one vivosaur, those who knew the technique kept it a secret from all new fighters until, after a few generations, the fact that it even existed faded from memory. To this day, only the highest-ranking Wardens even know the technique exists, and even we can't use it."

"So then…" Mei Lian mumbled, turning to me and narrowing her eyes so that she was almost glaring at me, "If no one knows how to fight like that, then how do YOU?"

I looked at the Wardens, then to Nibbles, who was looking at me curiously, wondering how I would respond. I simply shook my head.

"I'm afraid that's classified. You'll just have to trust me on this one."

Mei Lian and Liu Ren looked at each other, conflicted, not too fond of being kept in the dark. After some sort of unspoken communication, the Asian leader sighed.

"I'm still not entirely sure what's going on, but you have yet to show any sign of betraying us, so for now, we'll leave this to you."

"But the tournament is meant to be fought with Fighter teams." Mei Lian stated, as if continuing from where Liu Ren left off, "The rules don't recognize the possibility of one person controlling a whole team."

"And it probably wouldn't be wise to advertise Tria's…special skill." Liu Ren added, looking at me again, "So we're going to have to find a way to give the illusion of a team, to avoid arousing suspicion."

"I have an idea for that." I spoke up, "If you have some trusted Wardens and indistinguishable Bone Buggies, two of them could pose as my teammates. Because the opponents are on the opposite side of the stadium, they won't notice that I'm commanding the entire team. All my teammates would have to do is load my Dino Gears into the undistinguished Bone Buggies, and let me take care of the rest."

Liu Ren and Mei Lian looked at each other again. They clearly didn't like the thought of lying to people of their Fossil Park. I didn't, either, but I was charged with protecting the tournament, so that's what I was going to do.

"Also." I said, and they both looked at me, "The two Wardens posing as my teammates would still have their own vivosaurs available. So, if the BR Brigade does attack…" I trailed off, looking at them expectantly as their eyes widened in realization.

"Those Wardens could fight back!" Mei Lian cried, jumping up and down excitedly.

"And they wouldn't be tired from fighting in the tournament!" Liu Ren gasped, looking impressed at my foresight.

"That was what I was thinking." I said, looking at the two Wardens, "Do you know of two trustworthy Wardens who can pose as my teammates?"

Liu Ren looked down at his hands, brow wrinkling in concentration as he thought through the possibilities.

"I don't want to spread the knowledge of your abilities if it can be helped, so that limits our options…" he muttered, tapping his chin in thought.

"Ooooh! Let me be one!" Mei Lian yelled excitedly, waving her arm in the air like a student wanting to be called on in class, "I won't be noticed, and I can play a part in this mission!"

"I second that motion." I agreed, earning myself a grin from Mei Lian.

Liu Ren glanced between the two of us as we looked at him pleadingly, his eyes calculating. After a few moments of silence, the Asian leader sighed again and stood up, walking around his desk to stand in front of us. Although he wasn't that tall compared to the other Leaders (especially Drake), he still towered over me and Mei Lian. We both looked up at him, suddenly nervous.

"As I said, I don't want this information to get out, so I would prefer that we keep the list of possible teammates to people who already know about it." Liu Ren stated, looking down at me, "How many people know of your abilities?"

"At this current moment in time, just you two." I replied, my voice and expression intentionally neutral.

Liu Ren nodded, seeming pleased with my response. "Excellent. In that case, I think the choice for who will pose as your teammates is clear."

My jaw dropped when I realized what the Asian leader was saying. Mei Lian jumped up and down happily, pouncing on me in a hug. Liu Ren just smiled at my reaction.

"S-Sir…" I stuttered before correcting myself, "I mean, Liu Ren, I'm honored."

Liu Ren shook his head. "No, it is I who is honored here. I get to work with one of the most promising Wardens I've ever seen while protecting my beloved Fossil Park. I even get to witness an ancient battling technique that I had thought was completely gone. We should be thanking you, Tria." Liu Ren stated sincerely. Mei Lian nodded enthusiastically in agreement. I blushed.

"Thank you, Liu Ren, Mei Lian. I am grateful for your help." I said, smiling at the two veteran Wardens.

"Thank YOU, Tria!" Mei Lian exclaimed, "I can't wait to see an awesome battle technique!" She then ran off, turning back at the elevator doors and calling, "Come on, Liu Ren! Let's go get ready!"

"Remember, Mei Lian! We're undercover! Tria's ability is to remain a secret!" Liu Ren called back, turning to me before following the excited girl, "Go sign up for the tournament, Tria. We'll be waiting for you at the Stadium."

"You got it!" I called back. I would've said, "Yes, sir!" but I remembered how he didn't like formalities. Once they were out of earshot, Nibbles nudged my leg.

" _That went better than expected._ " he growled to me, and I reached down to pet his head.

"It sure did." I replied, looking at my little partner, "How are you feeling?"

" _Better than last night._ " he growled back, looking down at the floor of the office, " _But I still don't think I'm up for a fight. You're going to have to use someone else._ "

"That's all right." I said, picking up the little vivosaur, who curled up instinctively as I walked out of Liu Ren's office, "You're also too recognizable. I'm going to need a team of vivosaurs that can be found in the dig sites of the Fossil Parks."

" _So who are you going to use?_ " Nibbles asked.

"I have an idea, but I'm going to have to ask Liu Ren something." I replied, heading toward the Fossil Stadium.

After I registered at the front desk, I headed to the back to wait for my round. As I sat in my Digger's Rig, two unmarked Light 4WDs drove up to me. As I tuned my radio into theirs, the faces of Liu Ren and Mei Lian appeared on my screen.

"Hey, Tria!" Mei Lian said excitedly, "What took ya so long? I'm so bored!"

"Calm down, Mei Lian." Liu Ren chastised, looking back at me, "Tria, let's see if we can find a more private place to park so we can further discuss the plan."

"Roger." I replied as we drove into a corner. Once there, we got out of our Bone Buggies and met in the middle of the triangle we'd formed to hide us from view.

"All right, so we're going to load one of your Dino Gears into each Bone Buggy and release them, then leave you to do the battling. Is that the plan?" Liu Ren asked me, keeping his voice down. Mei Lian and I nodded.

"Who are you gonna use, Tria?" Mei Lian asked me, leaning in excitedly, "I wanna see your team!"

"About that." I said, turning back to Liu Ren, "Tell me, just how well known is the Gorgo I captured at Paradise Beach?"

"Hm." Liu Ren hummed in thought, "Mei Lian would mention it from time to time, but few actually got a good look at it." He then looked at me again, shocked, "Tria…you don't mean to…?"

"What?" Mei Lian asked, confused, "What does that Gorgo have to do with this tournament?"

"I've been working on his teamwork skills." I replied, "I think this will be some good practice for him."

"But Tria…" Liu Ren muttered, "Can you really control it along with two other vivosaurs?"

"I think so." I replied confidently.

Mei Lian, who had been looking back and forth between me and Liu Ren, finally lost patience.

"All right!" she yelled. Liu Ren and I moved to cover her mouth, and she continued in a lower voice, "What the heck are you two talking about?!"

"Do you remember the Gorgo you were hunting that Tria captured? The reason you challenged her to a fight?"

"Of course!" Mei Lian exclaimed, "How could I forget how I met the best Paleo Pal EVER?!"

"Best?" I asked, blushing slightly. Liu Ren ignored the last part of her comment as he continued.

"Well, after that Gorgo was captured, Tria added it to her team to help it get over its hatred for humans, and now she wants to use it in this tournament."

Mei Lian's eyes seemed to sparkle with admiration as she looked at me. "Oh wow!" she cried, "I knew you were awesome, Tria, but I didn't know you were THIS awesome!" She then jumped around me excitedly. "Use it! Use it! Please! I wanna see how much stronger it's gotten under you command!"

"That's the plan." I said, handing Liu Ren and Mei Lian the other two vivosaurs I planned to use, "I'll release Gorgo, since he is more difficult to control. You guys can release these two. They're much calmer."

"All right." Liu Ren said, gripping the Dino Gear I had given him, "We're counting on you, Tria."

"You can do it, Tria!" Mei Lian cheered as she also headed back to the Bone Buggy she was using, "You show those fighters what a true battle is!"

"Will do!" I yelled back, getting back into my Digger's Rig, with Liu Ren and Mei Lian alongside me. We were next.

As soon as we were called, we drove into the Stadium. I looked around at the thousands of spectators cheering excitedly. High in the stands, I saw a large group of kids, along with Penny and Roland, looking on in awe. I also saw a head of pink hair that could only belong to Nate, and I even thought I saw a familiar speck of silver. Smiling at the knowledge that my friends were here, supporting me, I faced my first opponents.

"You're no match for me, pal!" the guy leading the opposing team challenged me, "Get ready to get losing!"

"We'll see about that!" I yelled back, mostly to mask Mei Lian's reaction to the challenge.

The opposing team released their vivosaurs: Sungari, Igua US, and Edapho. I released Gorgo while my 'teammates' released the rest of my team: Stego and Thalasso. The vivosaurs roared at each other as the battle began.

Sungari dove at Thalasso, who proceeded to dodge. As the two flying vivosaurs tussled, Edapho charged at Stego, who was the only one on the battlefield too slow to avoid its attacks, while Gorgo and Igua US faced off.

"Thalasso!" I called, altering my voice slightly, "Take out that Sungari! Drive it higher!"

Thalasso shrieked, following my orders and chasing the Fire-type pterosaur higher, leaving it unable to help its comrades.

"Stego! Panic Spike on Edapho!" I ordered the calm herbivore.

Stego looked at the smaller Air-type vivosaur, its attacks barely fazing her. Looking bored, she spun around, catching Edapho with her spines as it pounced at her, driving it back. As it tried to get up, it staggered and looked around, confused.

"Gorgo!" I yelled in my normal voice to the large carnivore. He roared, eager for his orders. "Deadly Fangs!"

Gorgo roared again, charging forward and biting down on Igua US' back. The Fire-type herbivore screamed, flailing around in an attempt to escape.

"Now." I said, grinning sadistically, "Send it flying!"

Gorgo grinned too, tossing his opponent into the air. I heard my opponents and my teammates gasp, as did the audience. I ignored all of them.

"Incoming, Thalasso!" I called to my flying vivosaur, who was still keeping Sungari at bay. Once he saw what I meant, he dove away from his opponent, leaving the other pterosaur confused. Sungari turned back to the battlefield below to see what made Thalasso flee, just in time for it to be knocked out of the sky by the Igua US that Gorgo had tossed. As they both fell, I gave Thalasso another command.

"Thalasso! Middle Spear on both of them!"

Thalasso screeched happily and slammed into his opponents, sending them flying back down to the battlefield.

"Stego!" I called to the still-bored herbivore, "Panic Spike again! Upward this time!"

Stego glanced at me briefly, too quickly for anyone to notice, and smiled with amusement when she understood my plan. Calmly approaching Edapho, who was still looking around in confusion, she caught it under its belly with her tail spikes, throwing it into the air. There, it collided with its teammates, causing the three to fall back down together. Before they could land, I called out the battle's final orders.

"Gorgo! Tail Bash! Send them back to their fighters!"

Gorgo bellowed gleefully as he spun around, hitting all three of his opponents with his tail and sending them flying toward their fighters' Bone Buggies. They turned back into Dino Gears before they could even hit the ground, and my vivosaurs roared in triumph.

"H-How…?" the leader of the opposing team stuttered, unable to believe what had happened.

"Better luck next time!" I said simply as I drove off the battlefield, my stunned teammates following. Once we returned to the waiting area, we entered our private huddle.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Mei Lian exclaimed excitedly, pouncing on me the moment I got out of my Digger's Rig. "The way you took command of three vivosaurs at once like it was one of the easiest things in the world was so cool!"

"That was very impressive, Tria." Liu Ren said when he approached us, "I've never seen that kind of teamwork in a Fossil Battle before."

"Which was probably why it was banned." I replied, an arm wrapped around the excited girl who was still clinging to me, "This kind of teamwork can be very dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Indeed." Liu Ren agreed.

"But in your hands, it's super awesome!" Mei Lian piped up, her energy refusing to fade, "The other fighters didn't stand a chance!"

"I just hope no one gets suspicious about that level of teamwork." Liu Ren said, concerned.

"That was worrying me, too." I said in agreement, "But as long as the thought of the team being controlled by one person doesn't occur to anyone, we should be fine." I then glanced toward the arena. "Although I'm probably going to be bombarded with questions from my friends…"

"They don't need to know anything!" the girl clinging to me suddenly yelled angrily, "They couldn't even be bothered to help you!"

"Penny and Roland had an assignment." Liu Ren said in the young Wardens' defense, "As for Nate, well…"

"He's always doubted his own abilities." I said, gently stroking Mei Lian's shoulder as her arms tightened around me. The thought of my comrades 'abandoning' me seemed to really bother her. "Especially next to mine. I can't say I blame him. Besides…" I said before Mei Lian could argue, "If they were able to assist me, you wouldn't have been able to witness my secret battle technique, would you?"

Mei Lian fell silent, knowing that I had a point. She just rested her head on my shoulder, finally starting to settle down. When Liu Ren still looked concerned, I addressed him.

"Don't worry, Liu Ren. I won't tell them about my secret technique. I can even try to make the teamwork less obvious, if you'd prefer." I said, arching an eyebrow as I looked at him.

"No, you needn't do that." Liu Ren said hastily, "I know we can trust you."

I smiled at the sincerity in the Asian leader's voice. My expression then became serious as I glanced toward the exit. "I do think you should inform Captain Stryker of my abilities, though. Since I work directly under him, it would be wise for him to know of my capabilities."

"Hm." Liu Ren hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin, "I agree. If anyone will suspect your team's astonishing teamwork, it's Captain Stryker. The other leaders should probably be informed as well, but we'll leave that decision up to the Captain. Right now, we have to focus on the tournament."

"Of course." I said, heading back to my Digger's Rig once Mei Lian let go of me.

"Woo hoo!" she cried, her excited energy returning, "Let's go kick some fighter butt!"

"Even though you're not actually fighting." Liu Ren said in amusement, earning himself a glare from the kung-fu girl. I laughed, happy that the serious atmosphere had lightened with familiarity.

"You're still being very helpful, though!" I called back to both of the senior Wardens, which released whatever tension was left, "And you've got front row seats, too!"

The next two rounds progressed very similarly to the first. Neither of the teams could stand up to us. In round three, I gave my vivosaurs a chance to fight without my explicit direction, much to the astonishment of my two companions. Gorgo, much like Leon, still didn't like working as a team, but my presence seemed to be enough of a reminder for him to behave, although I did have to growl at him once. Needless to say, my team made it into the finals easily.

"Yay! Tria! We made it into the finals! We're gonna win this thing for sure!" Mei Lian cheered happily when we met in the lobby during the break, "I've got your back all the way!"

"Thanks, Mei Lian!" I said, smiling at her.

"Don't forget the overall objective, you two." Liu Ren reminded us, "It's good to be proud, but we all must stay on high alert."

"I know." I said, my smile not faltering.

"Yeah, okay…" Mei Lian mumbled, sounding disappointed.

The three of us looked up toward the arena when we heard the announcer's excited voice.

"And the match is over! This team is incredible! Can anyone beat them?!"

"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good." Mei Lian muttered, stepping forward.

When the doors leading to the arena opened, a group of three people stepped out. They were all dressed in dark violet outfits. The leader, who had black hair and red eyes, spotted my group and approached.

"Hot potatoes!" he said in a ridiculous accent, "You must be the other finalist, Tria! The name's Crow, kid. Good to meetcha!" He smiled at all of us, and continued before anyone could respond, "Now get out there and put up your dukes! I don't wanna waste my time fightin' some palooka tomato can!" And with that, he walked back into the arena, his lackeys trailing behind him, snickering.

Liu Ren arched his eyebrow. "I've never seen those fighters before." he said suspiciously.

"I don't trust him!" Mei Lian declared vehemently, "Who talks like that, anyway?"

"What do you think, Tria?" Liu Ren asked, turning to me, "Tria?"

I didn't respond. I couldn't respond. I just stood there, eyes wide and terrified, my breath hitched and labored. I couldn't stop shaking as I stared at the doors that my opponent had just gone through. Beside me, Nibbles was growling, pressed against my legs as he trembled violently.

"Tria?" Liu Ren asked again when I didn't respond, "Are you okay?"

"What's wrong, Tria?" Mei Lian asked when she noticed my catatonic state. She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me roughly. "Snap out of it!"

"Mei Lian! Stop that!" Liu Ren scolded the girl, prying her off of me. He then placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. "What's the matter, Tria? Talk to us."

I could barely hear them, my eyes still glued to the doors. Finally, I managed to whisper the one word that had been echoing in my head since the other finalist had first appeared.

"D-Danger…" I whispered, shuddering.

"What?" Mei Lian asked impatiently. She and Liu Ren clearly hadn't heard me.

"Danger." I repeated, a little more clearly, "That man…is dangerous. Very dangerous."

The two veteran Wardens looked taken aback. They'd never heard so much fear in my voice before. They both stared at me, then looked at each other, then looked back at me with a shared look of thoughtfulness. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Mei Lian growled viciously, almost sounding like her V-raptor for a second.

"I KNEW we couldn't trust him!" she snarled, her eyes burning with rage, "We absolutely WILL kick his sorry butt! We'll make him wish he was never BORN!"

"This is troubling…" Liu Ren muttered, crossing his arms with a worried expression on his face, "If he really is as dangerous as you say, it may not be safe to let you fight him alone…"

"Oh, I can manage that." I stated, catching both Wardens by surprise, "His vivosaur is strong, sure, but the truly dangerous one isn't the vivosaur, but the fighter himself." I then looked at Mei Lian and Liu Ren, letting them know how serious my next request was.

"However, for the final battle, I would like you both to turn off your radios. I don't want any visual or audio getting through to either of you." I said, not leaving any room for debate.

"WHAT?!" Mei Lian screeched, causing everyone around us to either flee or, in the receptionist's case, hide under her desk, "Why?! We watched every other battle! Why can't we watch this one?!"

"I agree with Mei Lian on this one." Liu Ren added, gripping my shoulder, "If this fighter is really as dangerous as you say, we need to be on high alert. We can't afford to be kept in the dark."

"I'm sorry." I apologized to both Wardens, "But this is a part of my battle technique that I would prefer no one see. Please…" I looked at my companions with wide, pleading eyes. "Please. You've followed me this far. Just trust me with this one last thing. Please?"

Liu Ren and Mei Lian looked at each other again, conflicted. After a tense few seconds, Liu Ren sighed in defeat, while Mei Lian crossed her arms and huffed in frustration.

"All right." Liu Ren relented, "But only on the condition that you reconnect with us the moment something goes wrong."

"Thank you Liu Ren, Mei Lian." I said sincerely, wrapping an arm around both of the Asian Wardens, "That's all I ask."

Just then, the announcer called for the finalists to enter the arena.

"Looks like break time's over." Liu Ren stated, looking down at me, "Head over the reception, Tria. We'll be waiting in the back."

"Roger!" I said, but before I left, I felt him grab my wrist.

"And remember." he said, serious and still very worried, "Don't do anything foolish."

I gave the Asian leader a thumbs-up and headed for reception. Once I had registered for the finals, I headed to the back, where my Digger's Rig was waiting. Liu Ren and Mei Lian's unmarked Bone Buggies were parked next to it, their drivers already inside. Their radios had already been disconnected, so they'd just follow my lead as they had been doing for the entire tournament. I darkened the lights in my own Bone Buggy, preparing myself, as well as my team, for this battle. Nibbles shuddered at the commanding energy I was exerting, as did my other vivosaurs, even the one who wasn't participating in the tournament.

As soon as we drove into the arena, Crow announced through his radio, "Hate to be a bad egg about all of this, but I'm not about to lose! There's gold at the end of this rainbow, if you smell what I'm sellin', and I aim to get my mitts on it!"

I said nothing in reply, simply releasing my team as Crow released his. My Gorgo faced off against Crow's Zino while Stego faced Goyle and Thalasso faced Goyo. Both sides growled dangerously at each other as the battle began.

Zino, wasting no time, charged at Gorgo, long scythe-like claws gleaming in the sun's midmorning light.

" _Tail Bash._ "

Gorgo roared, spinning and slamming his tail into Zino. As the vivosaur stood in a weakened stance, Gorgo charged forward, using Shoulder Tackle to bring it down. " _One._ "

Stego narrowed her eyes at her opponent as it attempted to ram her with its armored head. Her eyes focused on the only part of its body that wasn't armored: its stomach.

" _Panic Spike. Flip it over._ "

Stego bellowed in challenge, turning around and catching Goyle under its stomach with her spines, tossing it in the air. As it landed on its back, unable to right itself, she grinned.

" _Blade Barrage._ "

Stego braced herself on the ground, the wind howling around her back plates as the sharpened blades gathered. She then fired them into the air, the blades cutting directly into Goyle's exposed stomach. The vivosaur retreated into its Dino Gear to escape the worst of the damage. " _Two._ "

Thalasso flew swiftly around the hard-headed Air-type. Goyo was beginning to get impatient, roaring in frustration as he tried to hit the small and agile pterosaur. Thalasso shrieked back, taunting his opponent.

" _Wing Blaster._ "

Thalasso screeched, flapping his wings as hard he could. The Goyo, being a small vivosaur, was lifted into the air by the strong winds. As it screamed, this time in terror, Thalasso flew up to meet it.

" _Paralysis Ripper._ "

The Water-type pterosaur bared his talons, raking them across the sides of its hard-headed opponent, bringing it to the ground. The Goyo struggled to its feet, the paralysis taking effect.

" _Middle Spear._ "

Thalasso flew in a loop, diving at the weakened vivosaur. Goyo closed its eyes, knowing the battle was over. It disappeared in a flash of light the moment Thalasso's beak connected with it. " _Three._ "

"Well, I'll be." Crow whistled, impressed by the quick brutality of my onslaught, "They gave me the bum's rush! You surprised me, kid. You truly did."

I narrowed my eyes, keeping my screen dark as I growled dangerously. He didn't sound disappointed at all. In fact, he almost sounded pleased. I simply drove out of the arena, with Liu Ren and Mei Lian following close behind.

"Yeah! We did it!" Mei Lian cheered excitedly, the frustration at not being able to hear me command my vivosaurs fading in the face of my overwhelming victory, "We're the best! Wooo! Time to throw a paaar-taaay!"

"I'll admit, that was impressive." Liu Ren praised me, smiling with satisfaction, "It seems the tournament has concluded without incident. I'm pleased nothing had happened."

"So am I." I agreed, although I still couldn't shake the feeling that this fight wasn't over. Nibbles seemed to agree with me; he was still tense, and was looking around warily. One of the announcers approached me.

"Congratulations, Tria." she said, smiling cheerfully, "Your trophy is being carried in as we-" She was cut off by a scream near the arena.

"Th-Thief! Help!"

"Someone stop him!"

We all turned to see Crow running toward the exit, the bright green trophy in his arms. We all stood in his path.

"Sorry to sink to such low depths, but there's nothin' for it. I hoped to beat you palookas square and walk away whistlin', but now I have to boost the trophy like a common flimflam." he said, smirking at us.

"Liar!" I snapped at him, "You showed no signs of disappointment when you lost. In fact, I bet you were hoping you'd lose so you could fight with your own two hands!"

Crow whistled and looked at me, impressed. "Well, you're smarter than you look. I respect that."

Mei Lian, who had clearly heard enough, stepped forward. "You're in the BR Brigade, aren't you? Answer me before I punch you in the gut!" she growled. I grabbed her arm, restraining the temperamental girl before she got herself hurt. I never took my eyes off of the dark man, who was now laughing with sadistic glee.

"Applesauce! This dame's got a temper!" he cried in his ridiculous accent, before his voice deepened and his accent changed into something much scarier, "All right, doll. You want to know who you're dealin' with? I'll play ball."

'Crow' then threw a smoke bomb into the floor, as if trying to escape. However, instead of disappearing, he simply abandoned his disguise. His hair was still black and his eyes were still red. At least, the visible one was. The left side of his face was covered in a white mask, with the eye-hole covered by a kind of red material. His right eye, which was visible, had a scar going straight down the center. He was wearing a kimono that was pale with gold and black markings, along with a black belt.

Liu Ren stepped back, looking uncharacteristically shocked. "Y-You're Kowloon! One of the BR Brigade lieutenants!" Nibbles growled threateningly. I mimicked him more quietly.

"Kowloon?" Kowloon repeated, looking nostalgic, "Kowloon…I haven't heard that name in a long time. People in prison usually just call me by my number." He then smirked. "Heh. It's almost like coming home." he said, shaking his head, "Now, I'd love to stand here and chat, but I'm expected elsewhere. Not wise to keep a man like Dr. Blackraven waiting, after all." He waved his sleeve-covered hand at us as he tried to walk by. "See you around, maybe."

Mei Lian, enraged, broke free from my grasp and stood in front of Kowloon, taking up her familiar kung fu stance.

"Hold it right there, you freaky mime! You'll have to get past me first!" she snarled, the fire in her eyes so strong I could almost feel the heat.

Kowloon whistled again, looking vaguely amused. "Well, well. You ARE a feisty one." His eye widened slightly as he registered her stance. "Mmm…I recognize that stance…It's Gangly Monkey Kung Fu, is it not?" As Mei Lian narrowed her eyes, Kowloon smirked, "Let's see if it can stand up to my Overweight Panda style! Begin!"

"Bring it on, chump!" Mei Lian challenged back.

"Mei Lian! Wait!" Liu Ren exclaimed, rushing over to her, but she ignored him, leaping toward Kowloon.

"Wistful Punch of the Primate! Slightly Irate Hammer Kick!" Mei Lian yelled, lunging at Kowloon after they each exchanged a few blows.

"Sloshing Belly Roll! Cankles Roundhouse!" Kowloon growled in return, calm and confident.

They collided mid-air, each trying to land a finishing blow. However, Kowloon's superior experience, combined with his larger size, overpowered the younger and smaller Mei Lian, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Mei Lian!" I cried, looking horrified at the girl lying on the floor.

"…Pathetic." Kowloon growled, sounding disappointed, "And you call yourself a Warden." He then lunged at Mei Lian, preparing to finish her off.

Suddenly, faster that the human eye could see, Kowloon's kick was blocked by Liu Ren, who had placed himself between the BR lieutenant and the fallen Warden.

"Tch…" Kowloon grimaced, backing off with a slight limp. Without another word, he grabbed the trophy and fled, heading out of the Park. The rest of us rushed over to Mei Lian.

"Mei Lian! Are you okay?" Liu Ren exclaimed, kneeling next to the girl.

"Ow…" she groaned, sounding like she was about to cry, "Ow ow ow…I am so mad right now…"

"We need to get you to the infirmary." Liu Ren said gently, picking the Warden up before turning to me, "Tria, I need you to chase Kowloon!"

"I'm on it!" I growled, anger flaring in my chest. As I was about to take off after Kowloon, Liu Ren stopped me.

"Here." he said, handing me an item as he somehow balanced Mei Lian on one arm. I looked at it. A bottle rocket. "Take this with you. Launch it the moment you're clear of the Fossil Stadium. Our man is sure to come running after it."

"Our man?" I thought in confusion, but I didn't question him, heading toward the Stadium's exit. On my way, I felt a hand grip my wrist weakly.

"Tria…" Mei Lian whispered.

"Yes, Mei Lian?" I asked, leaning closer to her.

"Go kick Kowloon's butt!" she growled, the fire in her eyes still burning brightly.

"I will!" I promised her, gripping her hand to emphasize my point. Before I could let go, she pulled me down further, putting my ear right next to her lips.

"Please…" she whispered, the fire in her voice replaced by concern, "Be careful." When I looked at her, her eyes were shining with a nearly overpowering worry for my well-being. I smiled reassuringly, squeezing her hand once more before running outside after the escaped lieutenant.


	17. Escaped Prey and the Fallen Huntress

Once I got to the path that leads to the parking lot that holds the fighters' Bone Buggies, I placed the bottle rocket on the ground and fired it into the air. Almost immediately, a burst of white smoke filled the area, blinding me and Nibbles.

"Gya!" I cried, more in surprise than actual fear.

"Gruh?" Nibbles grunted, looking around warily as he huddled against my legs.

"I arrive!" a voice declared from the smoke. Nibbles and I looked up to see a man standing in front of us. He had bright red hair and black eyes and was wearing a purple and orange ninja outfit. He wore a purple headband with a black metal plate on the front. He also wore a black mask that covered his nose and mouth, making me wonder how he breathes.

"Fear not!" the man said, though his voice was a little muffled, "My name is Hanzo, and I am a member of Fossil Park Asia."

"Uh…" I muttered, still getting over the shock of his arrival, "My name is Tria. I'm one of the newest Warden graduates."

Hanzo nodded. "Ah, yes. You're the one who serves directly under the Captain." he said, glancing briefly upward, "I saw the bottle rocket soar into the sky. What is the emergency?"

"One of the BR Brigade lieutenants, Kowloon, has stolen the Parsec Cup trophy and fled. He also managed to defeat Mei Lian in a kung fu battle." I reported to the ninja Warden, my anger rapidly returning at the memory of Mei Lian lying on the floor of the Fossil Stadium, groaning in pain.

Hanzo's eyes widened in surprise. "…Mei Lian? Defeated? This is serious indeed." he said, standing up straighter as he crossed his arms, "My fists are yours. Er, to command. Not to actually keep." He corrected himself, which managed to get a small smile out of me. "Are you prepared, Tria?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah!" I growled, clinching my fists, "I'm ready to tear this bastard apart!" Nibbles roared in agreement.

"Well said!" Hanzo said, sounding pleased, "I know you can't see it, but I'm actually smiling behind all this getup." He then shook his head, getting himself refocused. "Regardless! On my way here, I spotted a suspicious Bone Buggy racing in the opposite direction! I'll wager my finest shuriken that was the enemy we seek!"

"You mean when you got here not 10 seconds after the rocket was launched?" I thought to myself, exchanging quick glances with Nibbles.

"But we must be wary." Hanzo continued, "The BR Brigade is clever and merciless, like foxes with opposable thumbs! Be prepared! Our foe hides in a dig site near my hometown called Autumn Garden. I will wait for you there!" He then held up a smoke bomb, similar to the one Kowloon used. Nibbles and I jumped back as Hanzo yelled, "Ninja…SMOKE!" And with that, he disappeared again.

Nibbles and I sweatdropped. " _Oh, look. Another weird human._ " my little partner growled exasperatedly.

"…I won't argue that." I groaned in response, "Oh well. Let's head out."

Autumn Garden is a beautiful dig site. The site itself consisted of the foothills of a large silver-gray mountain, which loomed large over the site. The foothills were covered in trees with autumn-colored leaves, an expanse of red, orange, and yellow. The sky, much like Lantern Lake, seemed to be stuck in a perpetual state of change: sunrise. This gentle mix of blue, pink, and purple added to the gentle, relaxing atmosphere of the Autumn Garden. I drove up to the orange Turf Shredder that was waiting for me.

"You arrive at last, Tria!" Hanzo greeted me, "We must do everything in our power to catch that dastardly Kowloon! Leave nothing behind in the struggle! Fight like an enraged monkey in a shark tank!" Snapping out of his rambling, Hanzo drove down the winding road, with me following closely. After driving up the foothills for a few minutes, I felt the strong winds pushing at my Digger's Rig, almost knocking me off of the path. Hanzo stepped.

"Ha ha ha!" he laughed, sounding elated, "Feel the breeze!"

"Breeze?" I thought, glancing at Nibbles, "You call this a breeze?"

Hanzo, unaware of my exasperation, continued, "This is the perfect weather for me to unleash my secret arsenal of ninja powers! Our foe shall suffer divine punishment! Are you ready to unleash said divine punishment, Tria?"

Nibbles and I glanced at each other, sweatdropping. I then turned back to my radio, deciding to just play along. "Let it be so!"

Hanzo laughed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Prepare yourself!" He then put his hands together in a ninja sign, closing his eyes as the winds whirled around us. As we felt the Bone Buggies lift off of the ground, Hanzo yelled, "Ninja…TORNADO!" As he yelled that, our Bone Buggies rose into the sky, soaring over the colorful foothills toward the deepest part of the dig site. If I hadn't been so used to flying, I would've been sick.

After only a few seconds, we spotted Kowloon's Bone Buggy. It looked like a golden Turf Shredder with what looked like a golden claw at the front and large spikes on its wheels. As we flew closer, I tuned my radio into his.

"My work here is done." Kowloon muttered, sounding disappointed and slightly irritated, "And yet, there was so much more I could have-" He was then cut off by the sound of howling wind. "Hmm?"

"Ninja Tornado…" Hanzo commanded the winds carrying us, "DESCEND!"

The twister carrying us descended, dropping us right in front of Kowloon. The moment my wheels touched the ground, I drove forward threateningly.

"Hold it right there!" I growled, projecting an intimidating aura to my enemy.

"GRRR!" Nibbles roared, supporting me, " _You're going down!_ "

"Ah." Kowloon said, sounding pleased, "Your timing is impeccable. I was just pondering what an unsatisfying conclusion this was." His expression then hardened into a vicious glare. "I remember what you did to me back at the Stadium, Tria. Now I shall have my revenge!" he declared, laughing maniacally, "Behold your doom! Arise, my dark vivosaur!" And with that, Kowloon sent out his corrupted vivosaur: Zinodious. It looked like a normal Zino, except, instead of a white stomach, its stomach was dark purple. It was also larger than a Zino, and its eyes gleamed with an unearthly hatred not unlike what I'd seen in Nibbles' eyes when I'd first met him. Nibbles growled, sounding pained.

"Prepare yourself, Kowloon!" Hanzo roared, sending out his own Neutral-type vivosaur: the ceratopsian Mihu. The vivosaur's black body was covered with golden markings, the horn on his nose strongly resembling a katana. He snorted, stomping the ground as his large blue eyes narrowed into a glare. The Neutral and Dark vivosaur faced off, roaring at each other.

"I don't have time to deal with you." Kowloon snarled, his vengeance focused on me, "Stand aside."

Hanzo just laughed. "What's the matter, Kowloon? Don't think you can take me on?"

Kowloon sighed, sounding frustrated. "Very well. I'll toy with you." His eye narrowed into a merciless glare, "Zinodious. Slashing Upper."

The corrupted vivosaur roared gleefully, charging forward and catching Mihu under his chin, sending him flying. As the ceratopsian landed on his back, the clawed vivosaur raised its arm over its head, ready to land the finishing blow. Before it could, however, it was struck down by a long silver tail.

"What?!" Kowloon exclaimed, his eye going wide as he saw Diplo, who I had released while the other two battlers were focused on each other.

"My thanks, Tria." Hanzo thanked me as Mihu got back on his feet, "Now let's finish this!"

Kowloon snarled. "Two against on, huh? Typical of the Wardens."

"You're one to talk." I barked back, "You're using an altered vivosaur, which gives you an advantage." I then smirked, exchanging glances with Nibbles, "And besides, I'm not exactly known for playing fair."

"Not so tough now, eh, Kowloon?" Hanzo taunted, my support giving him more confidence than he already had.

Kowloon growled again, backing away from us as he withdrew Zinodious. "This isn't over, Tria. Next time we meet, I won't back down so easily." he warned me as his Bone Buggy released a smoke bomb. Once the smoke cleared, he was gone.

"Not again!" I snarled, echoed by Nibbles.

"Darn it!" Hanzo exclaimed, "He's slipped through our fingers!" He glared at his hands, gripping his steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"There's nothing more we can do." I said, keeping his voice light so that I didn't upset him further, "We should report to Liu Ren."

Hanzo nodded, and we drove back to the Fossil Park in silence. Once we got back to Liu Ren's office, Hanzo stood in front of the Asian leader, his eyes focused on the floor.

"Kowloon has escaped." he mumbled, muffled voice barely able to be heard, "The fault is mine alone. In my eagerness for battle, I let him slip away like an eel wriggling down a laundry chute." He refused to meet any of our gazes.

I stepped forward, placing a hand on Hanzo's shoulder. Had he not been so upset, I might have laughed at his ridiculous metaphor, but the atmosphere did not allow such light-heartedness.

"That's not true." I said to both Hanzo and Liu Ren, "In fact, it was my interference that caused Kowloon to flee, so I hold at least part, if not all, of the blame."

Hanzo looked like he was about to protest, although his eyes were grateful, but Liu Ren beat him to it.

"No Hanzo, Tria. You both performed admirably." he said, smiling gently at both of us.

I smiled at Hanzo, who smiled back (I think), but then we both turned back to Liu Ren when he spoke again, his voice becoming serious.

"However, I admit that I find Kowloon's actions most troubling." he said, "Why would he go to all that trouble just to steal a trophy?"

The room got quiet as we all tried to figure out the puzzle before us.

"What about Kowloon's teammates?" I asked after a minute of silence, "Maybe they have some clue about his motives?"

Liu Ren shook his head sadly. "I've already…spoken to them. Unfortunately, they were just a bunch of paid mercenaries. They have no idea what Kowloon's ultimate plan is." Judging from the pause in his statement, he'd done more than just "speak" to them.

I looked down again, disappointed. Liu Ren spoke up again.

"For now, we should turn attention to the trophy. We must learn more about it!" he said seriously.

"I shall investigate it!" Hanzo announced, pleased to have something useful to do. He then vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Please do, Hanzo." Liu Ren agreed, ignoring the fact that Hanzo was already gone as he turned to me, "And you, Tria, need to get to Europe. The other tournament will be starting soon."

"Of course, but first…" I replied, looking back at him, "How is Mei Lian doing? Is she all right?"

Liu Ren smiled. "Don't worry. Mei Lian managed to avoid serious injury from her fight with Kowloon. She is resting in the infirmary now. Did you want to see her before you left?"

"If I may." I replied. Not just to make sure she was all right, but to show her I was, too.

Liu Ren led me to the infirmary, still smiling, stopping at one of the rooms, coincidentally the same one I occupied when Gorgo attacked me.

"This is the one we use most often." Liu Ren told me when he noticed my remembrance, "It's easy to reach, but it's also quiet and out-of-the-way." He then opened the door and looked in. "Mei Lian? You have a visitor."

"Go away." I heard her reply, "I don't want to see anyone." She sounded upset and more than a little embarrassed.

Liu Ren looked at me, about to argue, but I waved my hand dismissively. "It's all right. If she doesn't want to see people right now, I can come back after the other tournament."

I turned around, ignoring the sympathetic look the Asian leader was giving me. However, just as I was about to walk away, I heard a squeal from inside the hospital room.

"Is that Tria?!" Mei Lian called back, her tone completely different, "Why didn't you tell me the visitor was Tria?! I wanna see her!"

I turned back around, smiling knowingly at Liu Ren. He returned my smile gratefully, holding the door open for me. Once I heard the door close behind me, I approached Mei Lian. At first glance, she seemed perfectly fine, but I knew that there were bandages on her arms, legs, and torso.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her, sitting on the chair beside her bed.

Mei Lian growled, "Oooooh! I'm so mad right now! I should be out there fighting, not lying here doing nothing!"

"You should be resting." I said sternly, "If you don't let yourself recover, your body won't heal properly, and you'll end up crippled."

Mei Lian looked at me, the fire in her eyes weakening until she sighed, sounding defeated. "I know. I'm just so…so…"

"Frustrated?" I supplied.

Mei Lian nodded. "Hanzo told me earlier that bastard Kowloon escaped. I wish I could've been there to help."

I looked down at my hands. "I'm sorry, Mei Lian." I apologized, "That was my fault. My attack drove him to flee, and I wasn't fast enough to stop him."

Mei Lian reached out, placing a bandaged hand over mine. "Please, Tria, don't blame yourself." she said, her voice uncharacteristically gentle, "It's not your fault your opponent is a damn coward." She then looked down at her other hand, clenching it into a fist. "I just feel so useless here. I want to help you and the others fight the BR Brigade."

"There's no one here to fight right now." I told her, cradling her hand in mine, "Right now, we're trying to find out more about the trophy Kowloon stole."

"But I could help with that, too!" she argued, sitting up straighter, only to collapse on the bed again.

"Careful, Mei Lian!" I scolded her, "You have to rest until you've recovered."

Mei Lian remained silent for almost a minute. Then I heard a sniffle as she gripped my hand.

"I just…" she whimpered, and I saw a tear fall down her cheek, "I feel like I'm slowing everyone down. Because I was reckless, everyone else can't get their work done as quickly, right when we all need to be at our best." She buried her face in her hands, trying desperately to contain her sobs. "I'm slowing everyone down! We can't move forward because I was reckless and got hurt!" Mei Lian trailed off then, her sobs rendering her unable to speak.

I looked at the sobbing girl in front of me. She was always so strong, but her inability to fight through her mistake had finally broken her. I sat on the side of her bed and grabbed her hands in mine, forcing her to look at me.

"Now, what kind of talk is that? That doesn't sound like the Mei Lian I know." I said, staring into her tearful eyes, "The Mei Lian I know would channel her anger into energy that would speed up her recovery. She would also find out what she COULD do in her current situation and continue to serve the Wardens while she recovers. That's what the Mei Lian I know would do."

Mei Lian looked at me, still looking guilty, but some of the fire had returned to her eyes. I let go of her hands and sat next to her on the bed, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"I understand how frustrating this is. Believe me, I do." I said gently, my voice just above a whisper, "But when you learn to turn a frustrating situation like this into a chance to get something done, you'll be that much better of a Warden. Trust me."

Mei Lian looked up at me before resting her head on my shoulder.

"It's just…so frustrating." she mumbled, "To think that I'm slowing everyone down and keeping them from moving forward…"

"Oh yeah, I remember that feeling." I said knowingly, leading to a curious glance from Mei Lian.

"How?" she asked, "Have you been here like this before?"

"Yep." I said simply, looking into Mei Lian's wide eyes, "In this very room, in fact."

Mei Lian looked around, as if trying to imagine me in her position, "Why? What happened?"

I smiled, settling the slightly smaller girl more comfortably against my side. "Did anyone ever tell you how I became a Warden?"

Mei Lian thought this over for a minute. "Wasn't it because you captured that Gorgo I was after?"

"That's right." I said, squeezing her shoulders in apology, "But I didn't come out of that fight unscathed." I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the faint scar that still remained on my arm. "Gorgo pushed some rocks onto my Bone Buggy and the roof collapsed, cutting into my arm. I passed out after capturing Gorgo and woke up here." I looked down at the other girl, smiling at her shocked expression. "That's where I got the idea to stop your V-raptor with rocks, though I'm glad he wasn't as badly injured as I was."

Mei Lian, who was resting her head on my shoulder again, touched the scar on my arm, lightly stroking her fingers over the marred skin. "Wow." she whispered, "So that's why the Captain has you working directly under him."

"I guess." I said, shrugging, "No matter how cool it makes me sound, though, it was still a reckless action that landed me here. The other graduates had to wait until I recovered to get their assignments, something I'm still guilty about."

"Really?" Mei Lian asked, sounding surprised and relieved that she wasn't the only one to experience this frustration.

I nodded, patting her shoulder in support before standing up. "I need to head to Europe. Their tournament will be starting soon. I'll visit again when I get back, okay?"

Mei Lian nodded. "Yeah, I'll see what I can do while I'm stuck in here." she replied, a familiar fire returning to her eyes. I smiled, getting ready to leave the room when she spoke again.

"Thanks, Tria." she said, smiling at me, "I'm lucky to have a Paleo Pal like you."

I smiled back, gripping her hand once more. "And I'm lucky to have a Paleo Pal like you. I know you'll do good work, no matter where you are."

She nodded, silently promising to stay strong while she recovered, and I nodded in acceptance, walking out into the main lobby, where Nibbles had been waiting for me. We were about to head through the World Gate when I stopped, turning my head toward the Garage parking lot. I perked up as I seemed to be called there, as if it were a meeting place that had been set long ago. I smiled, heading out of the front door, Nibbles looking at me in confusion as he followed. As I got close, I saw a familiar purple scarf, partially covered by long silver hair, and smiled.

"Hello, old friend."


	18. Meeting with an Old Friend

"Hello, old friend."

This was how I was greeted be the calm voice of my childhood friend. He turned to me, his long silver hair flowing in the wind and his golden eyes, wise beyond his years, gleaming.

"Elric!" I cried happily, practically jumping on the slightly-taller male. He wrapped his arms around me, returning my embrace. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"It has been awhile." Elric replied, smiling at me, "I see that life as a Warden suits you."

"You think so?" I asked, blushing with pride. My smile faltered when Nibbles growled.

"Ah, yes. How rude of me." Elric said, his smile more resilient than mine, "Hello there, little one. I apologize for ignoring you."

Nibbles growled again. " _Who is this guy?_ "

"Me? My name is Elric Bellamy. I'm an old friend of Tria's." Elric replied easily. Nibbles jerked back in surprise, not used to anyone other than me being able to understand him. "I'm sorry. I seem to have confused you."

"Elric is a close friend of mine." I explained, kneeling next to the little vivosaur, "If I can understand you, it makes sense that he can as well."

"Although I'm not as fluent in the ancient tongue as you are." Elric added as I stood back up, "You're a natural."

"Don't I know it." I agreed, crossing my arms, "You're as confident a know-it-all as ever, I see."

Elric chuckled lightly, "That, I cannot deny."

I nodded, my expression becoming serious, "As happy as I am to see you, I know you too well. You're not just here to visit me." I looked at Nibbles, who was staring at us curiously, I muttered something to Elric.

"You know, don't you?" I asked knowingly, "About him."

Elric nodded, glancing at Nibbles pityingly. "Yes. I know. He's the one."

"We'll have to be on high alert." I said, my voice a low growl, "But I'm sure you already knew that." I then placed a hand on my hip. "So what did you come here tell me? You did go through all the trouble of calling me out here."

Elric placed his hand over his heart, his voice full of mock hurt. "You wound me, Tria! Can I not come here to visit an old friend?"

"Not with your busy schedule." I replied, now with both hands on my hips, although we were both still smiling. Elric put up his hands in surrender.

"All right, you got me." he said, "I called you here to give you some advice." He then gestured for me to lean in, which I did. "When you feel lost and don't know where to go, check that man's cell." he whispered mysteriously, his calm smile still in place.

My eyes widened. "That man's cell? Do you mean…?"

Elric nodded. "You'll understand in due time. Now go. There's another tournament that needs your attention."

"I knew it." I muttered, smirking, "So that one's rigged, too. Interesting." I then looked at Elric thoughtfully. "I know you won't tell me what's going on there, but I can tell you're planning something."

Elric chuckled, "You know me so well."

I smiled, glad that I had the support of such a reliable friend. As I turned to walk back to the Fossil Center, Elric grabbed my wrist. When I looked at him, his smile had faded, and he looked almost grim.

"Dr. Blackraven must be stopped." he whispered gravely, his golden eyes darkening so that they looked bronze, "The space-time continuum is in danger. We must keep it from being disturbed."

My own brown eyes hardened with determination, and I nodded, turning back and heading to the Fossil Center, stepping through the World Gate to Europe with Nibbles close behind.


	19. The Rigged Tournaments Pt 2

Shortly after I arrived in Europe, I received a message from Hanzo. Apparently, he had added me as a Paleo Pal while I wasn't looking. I didn't mind, although I was taken off guard for a second. Nibbles and I headed into Drake's office, where he and Violet were talking. They both turned to me when they noticed my presence.

"Oh. Um, hey, Tria." Drake greeted me in his nervous voice, "Th-Thanks for coming and…all that."

"Hi, Tria!" Violet greeted me energetically, hugging me happily.

"Hi Drake! Violet!" I greeted them, returning Violet's embrace before stepping up to Drake's desk. He looked more troubled than usual, though I already knew why.

"I hear the BR Brigade is back?" Drake asked, sounding slightly hopeful that I might deny it. When I nodded, he trembled. "That's scary. Really scary…" he whimpered, looking down at his desk, "…I may need a bigger desk to hide under."

"Don't worry, sir." I said, smiling reassuringly, "We defeated the BR Brigade once. We can do it again." When I saw a small, shaky smile on Drake's face, I asked, "What have you done to prepare?"

At the question, Drake almost jumped. "H-Huh? W-Well we reinforced our patrols and…Yeah, that's about it."

I nodded, showing approval of his actions, which seemed to reassure the European leader. Violet jumped up excitedly.

"My psychic abilities are tingling! I predict those BR Brigade bozos are going to mess with the upcoming tournament!" she declared confidently. Drake and I stared at her skeptically, and she sweatdropped. "Actually, the Captain told us that was happening, but I'm sure I would have sensed it eventually…"

Drake sighed, sounding exasperated, and I patted Violet's shoulder.

"I'm sure you would've, Violet." I told her, smiling. Violet brightened.

"Anyway…" she said, changing the subject, "We're about to hold a Time Attack tournament called the Parsec GP." She then clenched her fists, causing her wand to shake. "Let me tell you, I'm gonna be REALLY ticked off if someone shows up and ruins it!"

Drake and I looked at Violet, exasperated at her sudden change of subject, before Drake looked back to me.

"Um, yeah, so, I need your help, Tria." he stuttered, looking away shyly, "I mean…if that's okay?"

"Of course." I replied immediately, encouraging the nervous leader to continue his request.

"Will you…compete in the Parsec GP? I, er, need someone I can trust to get in close and see what the BR Brigade is up to…"

I smiled, glad that the most nervous of all the Fossil Park leaders trusted me. Violet jumped up again, startling the poor man.

"I KNEW that was your plan, Boss! I like it! Bold, yet uncompromising." she exclaimed, and they both turned to me expectantly. I raised my hand, still smiling, and held up three fingers. As the two European Wardens looked at me curiously, I counted down.

"Three…two…one…"

Right on cue, a familiar voice called from the other side of the door, "Oh no! No way!"

We all turned to see Dahlia charging into the room, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Hello, Dahlia." I greeted my friend knowingly, "Working on your eavesdropping skills, I see."

Dahlia jumped, looking at me in shock. Drake looked frightened at the thought of the conversation being overheard. Violet just looked annoyed.

"Wait a minute…" she cried, stepping up to the energetic redhead threateningly, "You were eavesdropping on us? This is a private meeting, Dahlia. Besides, you're supposed to be out on patrol."

"I've already finished my patrol!" Dahlia retorted, "And I don't see why I shouldn't know about this! If anyone in this joint is going to compete in the Parsec GP, it's me! There's no one faster than me! I'm going to enter that tournament and BLOW EVERYONE AWAY!"

Violet looked like she was about to argue further, but I chuckled softly, catching their attention.

"I'm sure you will, Dahlia." I said, smiling knowingly, "But what about the BR Brigade?"

"Huh?" Dahlia looked at me in confusion, "Then they'll leave. If I beat them, they'll lose, right?"

"We don't know if their goal is to win!" Violet argued, "They might just want to ruin the tournament and cause a panic! What then?"

"No, I'm pretty sure they're here to win." I responded, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed in my typical thinking pose.

"Wh-What makes you say that?" Drake asked me, looking terrified of the new knowledge.

"I competed in the Parsec Cup in Fossil Park Asia earlier." I explained to the group, "I actually won, but my opponent for the finals was the BR lieutenant Kowloon."

Violet gasped and Drake sank lower behind his desk. Dahlia just looked at me with a perplexed expression.

"Kowloon? BR lieutenant?" she asked, not understanding the severity of what I had just said, "Who's that?"

"Kowloon is one of the two BR Brigade lieutenants that serve Dr. Blackraven. He uses a dark vivosaur and has an insatiable lust for violence." Violet explained to Dahlia while Drake cowered under his desk. She then looked at me, her expression serious. "Kowloon's strong, but did you say you won?"

I nodded. "That's right, although he didn't use his dark vivosaur in the tournament. It was clear that his goal was to win."

"So if we win, then they lose!" Dahlia declared, "All the more reason for me to take care of the tournament! I'll smoke 'em all!"

"No." I replied, "That's the reason I have to take care of this."

"Huh?!" Dahlia cried, sounding confused and offended, "Why?! Are you saying I can't beat them?!"

"I have no doubts you'd be able to defeat them easily." I replied, placing a hand on the fuming girl's shoulder, "But we all know how you get when it comes to Bone Buggies. You'd become so focused on winning the race you'd forget about the investigation, and that could become very dangerous."

Dahlia calmed down, too confused to be angry. Violet arched an eyebrow and Drake peeked out from under his desk.

"D-Dangerous?" the leader stuttered, "H-How?"

I looked at everyone, keeping my hand on Dahlia's shoulder. "Kowloon wanted to win the tournament. Or, more specifically, he wanted the trophy. So, when he couldn't get it fairly, he stole it, injuring Mei Lian in the process."

"He injured Mei Lian?!" Violet gasped, horrified, "She's one of our best fighters!"

I nodded, turning my attention back to Dahlia. "I know you want to compete. I understand how frustrating it is for you to stay on the sidelines, but please, sit this one out, just this once. I don't know what the BR Brigade will do to get the trophy, so we have to be on high alert."

The redhead looked down at the floor, conflicted. I placed my other hand on her other shoulder, looking into her orange eyes. "I know you could win this for us." I told her gently, "But if the BR Brigade sets some sort of trap, you might not see it. I need you to keep watch from the outside, so that you can spot any suspicious activity and alert me."

Dahlia looked up at me, her disappointment giving way to concern. "But if it's really that dangerous, won't you be at risk?"

I nodded, looking at the troubled expressions of the other two Wardens. "That's right. Because I'm competing, I'm the BR Brigade's target. However, I've already faced one of the lieutenants, so I know more of what to expect. Also, I don't zone out when I'm racing, so I'm more likely to spot a trap. Besides…" I explained, smiling at my fellow graduate, "I'll have you on lookout for me, won't I?"

Dahlia's eyes brightened and she smiled with newfound determination. "Yeah! I'll spot anything suspicious in an instant!"

I smiled back, patting her shoulder once more. "Good. I'm counting on you." I then turned back to Drake and Violet, my own determination showing in my eyes.

"Um, so…" Drake muttered, sounding suddenly unsure, "You're still planning to, um, enter the Parsec GP?"

"Yep." I replied simply, "Isn't that what you wanted me to do?"

Drake flinched, looking down at his desk. "W-Well, yes, but…" he trailed off, looking at Violet for help.

"We didn't realize it would be quite so dangerous." she explained, "We don't like the thought of putting you in a risky environment."

"Drake, Violet." I addressed both of the senior Wardens, "I know the Fossil Parks have been peaceful since the BR Brigade's defeat, but it's a Warden's job to protect the Parks, and sometimes that means going into potentially-dangerous situations. I have experience with the BR Brigade, so I have been assigned to investigate, and that's what I'll do. Dahlia and others will be on lookout, and you two will still be here if anything goes wrong. Please understand. This is my duty as a Warden."

Drake, Violet, and Dahlia all glanced at each other before nodding and facing me.

"Th-Thank you, Tria." Drake said, fishing through his desk and pulling out some paper, "I'll fill out the entry forms and…all that. I'm, uh, surprisingly good at paperwork."

"And we'll be with you every step of the way!" Violet declared, slinging her arm around Dahlia, "The tournament will take place at the Winding Road dig site. We'll lead you there!"

"And, um…" Drake muttered shyly, "Please…be careful."

I stood up straight, facing the European leader, and saluted. "Yes sir!" I then walked out of his office, following Violet and Dahlia to the Garage.

"You're gonna LOVE Winding Road, Tria!" Dahlia told me through the radio, "It's the best dig site EVER!"

"I can't wait." I replied to the excited redhead, but I was drowned out by Violet.

"Just because you're obsessed with racing doesn't mean Tria is too, you know." she scolded the junior Warden, "Besides, Tria travels regularly to all of the world's Fossil Parks, so I bet she's seen a bunch of awesome dig sites. Right, Tria?"

I was about to reply, but I was interrupted again, this time by Dahlia.

"As if!" she barked back at her senior, "The dig sites here are the best, and you know it!"

"Yeah, but try saying that to Becky and Mei Lian." Violet indirectly warned her.

The two went back and forth, arguing about the merits and inconveniences of various dig sites. I tuned them both out, following them through the portal to Winding Road.

Winding Road was a hilly dig site that was clearly designed specifically for racing. There were a few trees, but they were spread out, making them easier to avoid. The winding road was littered with speed boosters, and there were makeshift tire barriers set up all around the track. At the entrance, in front of the three steel arches over the starting line, there was a large gathering of Bone Buggies. I saw everything from the expected Speed Demons to agile Turf Shredders to, surprisingly, a few Heavy Haulers. I took my place on one side, with Violet and Dahlia taking a spot among the audience.

"Welcome to the Parsec GP!" the announcer's voice sounded through the radio, "We'll start with the qualifying round. We'll divide the competitors into two groups: Group A and Group B." When he said that, signs were held up next to the two rows. I was in Group A. "The fastest car in each group will move on to the finale. Now get out there and race your hearts out!"

And with that, the tournament began. The Heavy Haulers, although quicker than expected, were easily bested by the smaller vehicles. However, the drivers were also clumsy, frequently swerving off the road or falling into trenches and valleys. Through the round, I was on high alert, watching the track for any sign of cheating. Dahlia, being the gearhead she is, quickly lost herself in the races, despite the fact that she wasn't even competing, leading her to get constant scoldings from Violet. Finally, it was my turn.

"And finally, Group A's last challenger, Tria!" the announcer said through the speakers and eliciting a chorus of cheers from the crowd, which was already pumped up from the previous races. "The fastest time in Group A was 01:22:00. If she can beat this time, she'll secure a spot in the finale!"

"Wooo!" Dahlia cheered through the radio, "Go get 'em, Tria! Show these slowpokes what driving really is!"

"You got it!" I replied, driving up to the starting line. As the lights above me counted down, I calmed myself, focusing on winning the race while keeping watch for a trap. As soon as the lights turned green, I floored the accelerator, speeding across the track. Due to the races I had previously observed, I knew where all of the Speed Boosters and danger spots were, making it easy to win with a time of 00:49:43. The crowd went wild, as did Dahlia.

"And there you have it! Tria makes it to the finale! Now it's time to decide who she'll be going up against!"

I drove out of the dig site, not interested in watching the other races. Violet followed me, meeting me outside of the Garage.

"Good work, Tria! You made it to the finale! Just as I predicted, of course." the violet witch congratulated me, smiling, "There's no sign of the BR Brigade anyway, so you might as well go on to win the entire tournament."

"Yeah, I guess." I replied, not particularly caring. This seemed way too easy. I was just waiting for something to complicate things. I was not disappointed.

"If she CAN win!" We both turned to see Dahlia rushing towards us, her eyes wide and excited, "The winner of Group B is Mach Juan!"

"Mach Juan?" Violet and I asked in unison, looking at each other in confusion.

"Yeah!" she confirmed, "He's won Time Attack tournaments all over the world, and he's so devoted to racing that he never leaves his Bone Buggy. He eats in there, sleeps in there…not sure about the whole 'bathroom' situation, but I'm sure he's got that figured out."

"Ew…" Violet and I muttered.

"I know, right!" Dahlia agreed, clapping my shoulder, "Well, good luck, Tria. I'll be cheering for you!"

"So will I! I predict that you'll win this tournament and get the trophy for us!" Violet told me, following Dahlia into the dig site. I made to follow them, but I was stopped by a voice behind me.

"Ah! You are Tria, yes? Top racer from Group A?" a Russian-accented voice asked me. I turned to see a tall woman dressed in a heavy black robe with purple fur. She wore a puffy winter hat with a butterfly on the front, long gray hair flowing from underneath it. Her ice blue eyes were distant and clouded, a fact I found unsettling. My unease increased when Nibbles growled, hiding behind me.

"That's right." I replied, taking a more defensive stance as I eyed the woman warily, "And you are?"

The woman smiled coldly. "I am manager of Mach Juan." she told me, "Group B races have just made with the finishing, and now we do grand finale!" She smiled a little too innocently. "If you are going to be racing for prize, you must go to Winding Road."

"Yeah, I know." I said, my voice tightly controlled. I was about to leave when the manager's eyes widened.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, "I am almost forgetting. Mach Juan has been spying on your driving. He thinks you have much talent, yes? He is excited to finally have a challenger worthy of himself. It should be fine race! Oh ho ho!" She then walked away, still chuckling to herself. I looked at Nibbles, who was still growling, and knelt beside him.

" _So they_ are _here._ " I growled, too low for anyone to hear.

" _Yeah._ " Nibbles replied, narrowing his eyes, " _That's her all right._ "

" _She's different from Kowloon, though._ " I observed, " _I didn't get the overwhelming sense of danger like I did when I first faced him. In fact, I didn't sense much of anything from her, like she wasn't even there._ "

" _I know._ " Nibbles growled, " _For now, let's just focus on keeping that trophy out of their hands._ "

" _Agreed._ " I replied, standing up as Nibbles and I exchanged nods. We then rushed off into the Garage, heading for the Winding Road. We were greeted by a massive crowd. I drove up to the other Bone Buggy on the track: a red-and-orange Speed Demon.

"It's here, folks!" the announcer said, "The Parsec GP finale! From Group A, we have promising newcomer Tria…" That announcement got decent applause, but it was nothing compared to the next announcement.

"And from Group B, we have the fastest man alive! You know him! You love him! It's Maaaaaaaaaaach Juaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

The crowd went wild. Even Dahlia was cheering ecstatically, much to Violet's dismay. I just rolled my eyes. So much for professional neutrality.

Mach Juan, as the reigning champion, went first. His face appeared on my radio screen.

"Hey there, Tria. I'm Mach Juan." he introduced himself. He had short blond hair that seemed to stick back against his head. He was also wearing sunglasses and a red-and white jumpsuit. "Watching you drive earlier was pure jazz. Feet flying on the pedals…wheel held in a gentle caress…" He sighed, almost dreamily, before becoming serious. "You might even make this interesting."

He drove up to the starting line, grinning. "It's time to burn this baby UP!" he declared, flooring the accelerator, "MACH JUAAN!" He sped through the race track, nearly invisible with his speed. He expertly swerved around all obstacles, going over every Speed Booster before speeding over the finish line.

"Amazing!" the announcer cried happily, "What an unbelievable time!"

"Aw, yeah. I just blew my own mind." Much Juan added, sounding surprisingly calm, "But don't feel bad, Tria. There's still pride in second place."

"And you're gonna feel it!" I growled, his cocky attitude irritating me. I didn't know how, though. His time was 02:15:00, which was impressive for a track this long. I bit my lip as the announcer spoke up again.

"Much Juan has done it again! How will Tria measure up? Can she dethrone the racing king?"

"We'll see." I thought, gripping my steering wheel and zoning out again. As the countdown lights turned green, I sped across the starting line, focusing on the race. As I drove, I knew that there was no way I could win; my Digger's Rig simply couldn't compete with the Speed Demon's speed and agility. Just as I was starting to despair, I noticed a log leading up a small cliff that loomed over the last part of the track. I glanced at Nibbles, who shrugged. I shrugged too.

"Nothing in the rules that says I can't." I thought, turning off the track and onto the log. The crowd gasped as I drove off the cliff, flying over the track and landing on the last stretch. I floored the accelerator one last time, practically flying over the finish line, skidding to a stop at the end of the road. The crowd was completely speechless, as was Mach Juan and the announcer.

"U-Unbelievable…" Mach Juan gasped, his eyes locked on the timer. I looked at it too.

01:20:15

"How the-? I mean…that's not…" Mach Juan stuttered, his sunglasses falling from his face. He drove away in silence as the announcer exclaimed.

"Folks, it looks like the rookie has dethroned the champion! Mach Juan has been defeated! You won't want to miss the award ceremony over in the Fossil Stadium!"

"Good to know." I said simply, driving out of the dig site. I felt bad for Mach Juan, but I had to win that trophy, in order for us to investigate it. I drove into the Fossil Stadium, Violet and Dahlia following me.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer said dramatically, "The Parsec GP has concluded in an amazing fashion! Give it up for the new champion…Tria!"

I held up the neon green trophy as fireworks lit up the sky. I saw Dahlia, Violet, and even Drake cheering for me, and I saw a familiar head of silver hair smiling at me. I smiled back at everyone, but I still got the feeling that this fight was far from over when I looked at Mach Juan's manager and saw her frown.

"That was amazing, Tria!" Violet greeted me in the lobby. Drake went to report my success to Captain Stryker while Dahlia was ordered to help clean the Winding Road dig site. "I can't believe I bet on Mach Juan. I should've seen this coming…" When I arched an eyebrow, she winced, grinning guiltily, "Er, yes. Anyway, the important thing is that you won and no one was hurt. And the BR Brigade didn't show their stinking faces!"

"Don't be so sure about that." I growled, turning to glare at the cloaked woman who had been standing in the corner of the lobby.

"Never in wildest dreams did I feel this ending would be happening!" the Russian woman said, returning my glare evenly.

"Oh, hello." the stadium clerk greeted the woman innocently, "You're Mach Juan's manager, right?"

"No!" the woman barked back, causing the clerk to recoil, "I do not manage losers! He is, how you say, dead to me. And now, I can stop with the pretending and reveal true identity…" She clenched her fists, glaring fiercely at me and Violet. "I am not manager! I am Olga Stroganoff!"

Violet lurched backward, gasping. "Olga Stroganoff! The BR Brigade lieutenant?!"

"I thought so!" I snarled, taking a defensive stance.

"Grrr!" Nibbles growled, backing me up.

Olga smirked. "One and same!" she declared, "I pretend to be manager of speedy oaf so I could accept trophy in his place. It was foolproof plan! But turns out I was fool instead." She then smiled with feigned gentleness. "Now instead of accepting trophy in front of adoring fans, I must steal instead…Is sad, no?"

"As if I'd let you do that!" I growled, taking up a battle stance. Beside me, Nibbles growled low in his throat, ready to tear BR lieutenant apart.

"Oh ho ho! Olga is most clever!" Olga laughed, pulling out what looked like a detached water faucet out of her cloak and lunging at Violet with surprising speed.

"Ahhh!" the psychic Warden screamed, covering her head with her wand. However, before Olga's attack could strike, I jumped in front of her, crossing my arms over my head and catching the blow.

"Tria…" Olga mumbled, sounding sadistically amused, "You are fool now." She then used her faucet to throw me to the side. "Have fun crying over missing trophy!" she called as she swiped the trophy from the receptionist's desk and took off toward the Garage.

"Tria!" Violet screamed as she rushed to my side. I stood up, ignoring the throbbing pain and spreading heat from where the metal faucet definitely left bruises.

"I'm all right!" I assured the woman, staring in the direction Olga had fled, "We need to get that trophy back!"

"Right!" Violet agreed, running toward the Garage with me close behind. As we were running Violet looked at me guiltily, clearly wanting to apologize, but I shook my head, reminding her that we still had a job to do.

"That JERK!" Violet screamed, this time in rage, as we sped through the Winding Road after the BR lieutenant, "She was lying the whole time and she stole the trophy, AND she attacked you! I won't forgive her for this!"

"Technically, she attacked you and I intervened." I thought to myself, "Her eyes keep bothering me, though. I can't get over just how…vacant they looked."

"Who attacked who?" another voice came in through the radio as Dahlia's Speed Demon drove up next to us, "What's going on?"

"Mach Juan's manager was actually the other BR Brigade lieutenant, Olga Stoganoff!" Violet explained, her rage making her drive even more quickly through the site, "She stole the trophy and attacked me with a metal rod or something."

"Technically, it was a detached water faucet." I interjected.

"Wait, Mach Juan's manager attacked you?!" Dahlia exclaimed, sounding horrified, "Are you okay, Violet?"

"I am." Violet said, her guilty tone returning, "Because Tria shielded me. She took the attack herself, and I'm pretty sure she got hurt in the process."

"It's just a few bruises." I said before Dahlia could freak out any more, "They'll heal in a few days, no problem."

Dahlia and Violet looked at me like they were about to snap back at me, Violet guilty and Dahlia near panic, but I directed their attention elsewhere. "Looks like we've caught up to her."

At this comment, Violet and Dahlia finally shifted their attention away from me, choosing instead to focus on the dark indigo Rock Crusher that was sitting in a clearing at the end of the dig site.

"Freeze, Olga!" Violet yelled, enraged.

"Ha!" Olga laughed, clearly amused, "It is you who will make with the freezing, little girl! For I am doing the ambushing of you!"

Suddenly, as soon as the lieutenant said those words, four other dark Bone Buggies drove off of the cliffs around us, leaving us unable to escape.

"Crap! We're surrounded!" Dahlia cried.

"Damn you, Olga." Violet muttered. I glared at the lieutenant, not letting her ambush faze me.

"You there! Tria!" Olga called, glaring at me in return, "Your speedy driving forced me to changing my original plan. This is, how you say, pain in tokus." She then smiled. "Such insolence deserves much punishment! Now prepare to shake hands with your doom!" With that declaration, Olga released a Dino Gear, announcing gleefully, "Arise, my dark vivosaur!"

Violet and Dahlia gasped as Olga released her dark vivosaur, with Dahlia whimpering at the memories the corrupted vivosaur reawakened.

Gorgostroika, a corrupted Gorgo. The carnivore was larger than Gorgo, with a black-and-purple body. Its blue eyes burned with hatred, the same hatred that burned in the eyes of the other vivosaurs released in the ambush. No, not quite. The hatred in Gorgostroika's eyes was a little different, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Play fair, Olga!" Violet cried, sending out her Air-type vivosaur Paraloph to face two of the other BR members.

"We won't let you hurt Tria again!" Dahlia yelled, sending out her Pachy.

"And I'm not going down without a fight!" I challenged, sending out my Gorgo to face off against his corrupted kin.

The two large carnivores roared at each other, flashing their huge teeth threateningly.

"Gorgostroika! Deadly Fangs! Make with the tearing them apart!" Olga commanded. Gorgostroika bellowed angrily, charging at Gorgo with its jaws agape.

"Gorgo! Tail Bash!" I called in response. Gorgo snarled and spun, slamming his tail into the dark vivosaur's side. Gorgostroika crashed into the cliff walls, bring down on of the other vivosaurs that was attacking Pachy. Gorgostroika shook its head, completely disregarding its fallen comrade as it focused on Gorgo. It roared again, charging.

"Cranial Upper!" Olga ordered, her anger reflecting the rage of her vivosaur.

"Jump, Gorgo!" I responded. Gorgo obeyed, evading his opponent's attack before bringing his clawed feet onto its back, bringing it down. As it disappeared in a flash of light, Gorgo and I turned on Olga.

"No! You have turned my dark vivosaur into pirozhki!" she cried, looking, for the first time, fearful, "You are not just run-of-mill Fossil Fighter…"

I drove forward, attempting to corner her, but she addressed me again, her voice calm and solemn.

"You are Warden, yes?" she asked rhetorically, not waiting for a response before continuing, "Then I have a message for you, Warden…" She smiled again, her expression becoming dark and sadistic. "You will never succeed with the stopping of Dr. Blackraven's plans of evil! He has huge brain! Makes yours look like sad bowl of cabbage! Soon whole world will be in his hands, and you can only sit around and be watching! Oh ho ho ho!" She then drove backwards, disappearing into a strange portal, with her lackeys following suit.

"Get back here!" Dahlia screamed, driving after the escaped lieutenant, but it was futile.

"Cripes! She used a warp portal! That sneaky rat must have set it up earlier in case she lost!" Violet growled, clenching her fists and glaring at them, "Ooooo, wait'll I get my hands on her!"

"Calm down, girls. She escaped. We can't change that. Let's report this to Drake and the Captain." I told them, driving back toward the Park.

Once we got back to Drake's office, Violet explained the situation to her leader.

"…And that's how Olga was able to escape. Her warp portal was designed to self-destruct after a single use, so we have no way to track her. If only there had been some way to predict she would use a warp portal…"

"So this Stroganoff lady didn't even CARE about the race?! She just wanted the trophy?!" Dahlia exclaimed, offended, "That's…I mean…Who does that?!"

"It's just like with Kowloon." I muttered, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed.

"So that means she has…another plan?" Drake offered, crossing his arms as well, "I'll look into the trophy. It's about time I…did something."

"I'll report this incident to Captain Stryker." I added, pushing myself off the wall.

"Hold up, Tria." Violet said, stopping me, "What about your arms? You were hit by Olga's water faucet, remember?" The guilt in her voice was painful.

"I'm fine." I insisted, uncrossing my arms, trying to hide my pained cringe at the movement of inflamed limbs. Violet narrowed her eyes as Drake looked at me in concerned fear. Dahlia wasn't buying it either and approached me, placing a hand on one of my bruised arms, making me jump with a pained yelp.

"I thought so!" Dahlia looked at me accusingly, her hands on her hips. Violet stood on my other side, making sure I wouldn't leave as Drake stood in front of me.

"It seems you're hurt, Tria." he said, sounding nervous despite the fact that he towered over me, "May we, um, take a look?"

I looked around at my companions and, seeing that they would not yield, sighed, rolling up my sleeves and holding out my arms. All three Wardens gasped in shock.

"Oh my gosh…" Violet whispered, eyes tearing up at the knowledge that I was injured while protecting her. Drake whimpered at the sight.

"Tria…" Dahlia muttered. She looked like she was about to explode. "Why…"

I looked at her in confusion. "Why what?"

And explode she did.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us you were hurt this badly?!" she shrieked, staring at me with wide eyes filled with worry.

I looked at my arms. They really didn't look good, with the entire tops and sides almost black and swollen. Even so…

"They're not that bad." I insisted, looking at all of the European Wardens, "My skin hasn't been torn, nor have my bones been broken. Besides," I looked at Dahlia specifically, "The wounds I sustained from my fight with Gorgo were far worse than these."

"Even so." Drake spoke up, "We should probably take care of them. Just to…be safe."

"I completely agree!" Violet said, grabbing one of my shoulders. Dahlia gripped the other one.

Nibbles growled, not liking that I was being physically restrained. I simply looked at the other Wardens, staring up at the European leader. He looked like he was about to back down, but I lowered my head, sighing.

"All right. Please take me to the infirmary. I'll report to the Captain later." I relented, smiling at my fellow Wardens, "Thank you for your concern."

Once I was in the infirmary, packs of ice on both arms, Drake excused himself to go report the Captain Stryker, ordering Dahlia to run a quick patrol of the Winding Road dig site and leaving Violet to take care of me.

"Violet?" I spoke up after a long silence, catching the witch's attention, "Is there something bothering you? You're not as cheerful as usual."

Violet looked down at her hands, sighing sadly. "I was just thinking about how I could've prevented this. After all, Olga's attack was meant for me, not you."

"Technically," I replied, "Her attack was meant for anyone she could hit. She didn't have a preferred victim."

"That doesn't change anything! I should have been able to defend myself! I'm the senior Warden here!" Violet argued, her anger with herself fueling her passion.

"You may be the senior Warden here." I replied calmly, "But from what I gather, you don't have much experience with close combat. Which means your seniority won't help you in a close combat situation."

Violet clenched her fists, trembling, before sighing again and collapsing back into her chair. "I know. Still, as a senior, I don't like seeing a junior hurt for my sake. Besides…"

I tilted my head when she trailed off, urging the purple-haired woman to continue.

"I used my crystal ball to see if we're compatible." Violet explained, "It said that we are. One hundred percent." She looked at her hands again. "My predictions are usually never wrong, so I was going to ask you to be my Paleo Pal after this mission, but now…" She looked at me sadly. "Now I'm not so sure."

"Sounds great!" I said happily, smiling, "I'd love to be your Paleo Pal!"

"Wait, really?!" Violet exclaimed, brightening, "Yay! My prediction was spot on for once!" She hugged me, careful of my arms. "Just call me whenever it strikes your fancy, okay?"

"You got it!" I agreed, leaning into her (my arms were still pinned by the ice packs). That's when we heard a hesitant knock at the door.

"E-Excuse me…" Drake's voice was heard on the other side of the door, "May I…come in?"

"Sure, boss!" Violet replied, her cheerful demeanor back.

Drake peeked his head into the doorway, looking around shyly.

"The Captain…wants Tria to report to him…as soon as she can." he muttered, glancing at me before nervously averting his gaze.

"All right." I said, sitting up straighter, "Can you guys get these ice packs off me?"

Violet removed the ice packs from my arms, insisting on wrapping the bruised area in padded bandages to keep them from getting worse if they hit anything. I didn't argue; I knew it would be futile. Once I got to the lobby and waved good-bye to Drake and Violet, I turned my attention to my vivosaur companion, who had been a little too quiet throughout this entire mission.

"All right, buddy." I said, squatting down in front of him, "What's wrong? Are you still not feeling well?"

" _I'm fine._ " he growled, eyeing me defensively. However, before I could respond, Nibbles sneezed loudly again, startling everyone in the Fossil Center.

"Gesundheit." I muttered from my place a few feet back, where I had jumped to avoid the sneeze.

" _Thanks…_ " he muttered, staggering through the World Gate, with me following close behind.

I couldn't shake the feeling that this was getting serious.


	20. Save Nibbles!

Once we got back to Fossil Park Asia, we reported immediately to Captain Stryker's office. Stryker was sitting behind his desk as usual, his arms crossed and his face troubled. Professor Little was standing next to the Captain's desk, fidgeting slightly.

"I've received the reports from Liu Ren and Drake." Stryker said when I stood in front of him, "As you know, the BR Brigade's top brass stole the trophies from both tournaments."

"Yes, sir." I confirmed, knowing that an apology would be worthless.

"However," he continued, looking up at me, "It turns out there's something you didn't know about the trophies." He turned to Professor Little, nodding for him to take over.

"Um, yes. Of course. Let me just get my notes here…" the child-genius replied, holding up some papers filled with pictures and wordy passages. "As I'm sure you realized, both tournaments shared the same name." When I nodded, he continued, "That's because they were sponsored by a company called Parsec Industries. Parsec is famous for its deep-space engineering technologies. And the trophies they created for the tournaments are most unusual. Both of them, you see, contained a very rare metal called Cosmonium, an ore found only in meteors and other deep-space rocks."

"I thought there was something odd about those trophies." I muttered.

"We think the BR Brigade is after the Cosmonium in those trophies." Captain Stryker stated, "First the Mega Electrominite, and now Cosmonium? The BR Brigade is up to no good. But as to their ultimate goal, I'm afraid we just don't know."

"Cosmonium is an extremely rare metal." Professor Little said, leaning against Stryker's desk and crossing his arms in a way that mirrored the Captain himself, "However, it doesn't have any known practical use. The only thing it's known for, actually, is its unusual color, which is why Parsec uses it to make trophies. So why would the BR Brigade want it?" The young professor pinched the bridge of his nose. "As a man of science, I must say that I am utterly baffled…"

I crossed my arms, too, looking down at the floor as I tried to figure out the solution to this puzzle. Suddenly, I remembered my meeting with Elric and the cryptic advice he gave me before we parted.

"When you feel lost and don't know where to go, check that man's cell."

"Wait…" I gasped in realization.

"Hmm?" Stryker said as he and Little looked at me, "What is it, Tria?"

"Have you checked Dr. Blackraven's cell lately?" I asked them. Their eyes widened.

"Not since several months before his escape." Stryker said, "You think he might have left something behind there?" When I nodded, he and Little exchanged glances. "It's worth a try. I'll look into it at once!"

"I'll go, too!" Little declared.

"All right." Stryker said, turning back to me, "We'll go check out Dr. Blackraven's cell. You should get some rest. You've done very well today."

"Thank you, sir." I replied, bowing before heading into the elevator. As soon as I stepped out into the lobby, I was greeted by a cheerful female voice.

"Hey, Tria." Penny said, walking over and smiling at me, "How did the tournaments go? I heard about what happened to Mei Lian. I hope she'll be okay."

"She should be." I replied, "I won both tournaments, but the BR lieutenants stole the trophies and escaped. Captain Stryker and Professor Little are trying to figure why the BR Brigade wanted the trophies so badly."

"I see…" Penny muttered, still nervous at the thought of the BR Brigade, "I hope they find out soon."

"So do I." I replied, sounding calm and confident in an attempt to reassure the girl, "How did the tour you and Roland were in charge of go?"

Penny brightened at the mention of her own mission. "It was so much fun! We led them around Paradise Beach and watched the tournament. By the way…" she said, leaning closer to me, "You got a new fanbase. The kids saw your tournament battles, and now they want to be like you. Especially when we told them the story of how you got the Gorgo you were using." She then laughed nervously. "Minus the part about how you were injured in the process."

I smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. I was just thankful no one asked me who my teammates actually were.

Penny turned to Nibbles, leaning down, although she still kept her distance.

"Aw, hey there, Nibbles. How are you doing?" she asked him in a friendly, hopeful tone, "You mind if I pet you? Pleeeeeease?"

I looked at Nibbles, expecting him to snap at the blond, but he didn't seem to hear her. He swayed on his feet, his eyes losing focus, before collapsing into my arms as I moved to catch him.

"Murr…" he groaned, sounding pained.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?!" Penny screamed.

"I don't know!" I replied, a sickening feeling falling over me, "But he's burning up!"

"We gotta get him to the hospital!" Penny declared, before gasping in shock and horror, "Wait a second, we don't HAVE a vivosaur hospital! Ooooh! What are we gonna do?!"

"I have an idea." I said, trying to calm myself down as I picked up my partner, "We need to get him to Professor Little's lab. The Professor is out, but there might still be someone who can help us!"

"Good idea! Let's go!" Penny agreed, and together we rushed Nibbles to the Professor's lab.

"Mmm…This looks bad." Yamamoto said gravely as he examined Nibbles, adjusting his glasses as he always did when he was thinking, "But the Professor is out right now, so maybe we can wai-"

"Then it's up to YOU, Yamamoto!" Penny interrupted, glaring at Little's assistant, "You have to help poor Nibbles!"

"Professor Little won't be back until tomorrow." I added, looking at Nibbles with concern, "It may be too late by then."

Yamamoto glanced between us, adjusting his glasses once more before nodding.

"Y-You're right…" he muttered, turning his attention back to Nibbles, "The Professor would be horrified if I didn't at least try!" He placed his hands on the table, still wary of touching Nibbles. "We'll start with an examination. Hm…high fever…swollen throat…minor tremors throughout the body…extremely runny nose…"

As Yamamoto said this, Nibbles suddenly sneezed loudly, startling all of us.

"…and a sneeze that probably registered on the Richter scale." Yamamoto concluded, looking at us, "There's no doubt about it…he's got vivosauritis!"

I shuddered, looking down at Nibbles with concern and pity. Penny tilted her head in confusion.

"Vivosauritis? What's that?" she asked, sounding vaguely incredulous.

"It's a rare viral disease that only strikes vivosaurs." Yamamoto explained, "But luckily, there's an easy fix." He then clenched his fists, eyes hardening with confidence. "If we just increase his fossil power, he'll be as good as new in no time!"

"That's great!" Penny said, smiling with relief. Then she frowned. "Um…how do we do that?"

"Well," Yamamoto said, looking at Nibbles thoughtfully, "There are a couple of ways to increase a vivosaur's fossil power, but only one is recommended by 9 out of 10 lab assistants!"

"And where exactly did you get that statistic?" I thought as Yamamoto turned to us, smiling.

"One bite, and he'll be brimming with mega fossil power!" he said excitedly, throwing his fist in the air, "I'm talking about an Ancient Eel fossil!" He then lowered his fist, smile faltering. "There's just one little problem. Ancient Eel fossils are quite rare. And based on the size of your vivosaur, you're gonna need three of them." Yamamoto looked at us, his face grim. "I'm not sure if we can procure them in time."

Penny and I looked at each other, panicking.

"What are we going to do?!"

"I don't know!" I replied, gritting my teeth as I went over the other options in my head.

"Leave it to us!" a voice said from the doorway. We all looked up to see Roland approaching us, Leon and Dahlia following close behind.

"Dahlia! Leon! What are you doing here?" Penny asked, eyes wide surprise. I looked at them with curiosity.

"I called them!" Roland proclaimed, "When I saw you come running in here, I figured it was pretty serious, so I decided to get some help!"

"Thank you, Roland!" I said, smiling gratefully.

"You were right, Roland. It is serious." Penny said gravely.

"I asked Nate to come too, but he just turned pale and ran off." Roland added, sounding disappointed, "He screamed something about how he couldn't risk losing his buns this time? I have no idea what that's about…"

I sighed, closing my eyes sadly. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up at Leon, who was smiling sympathetically at me.

"We don't need that rookie. We've got enough manpower right here." he declared, his confidence reassuring me slightly, "Did I hear you right, Doc? We need three Ancient Eel to make this guy right again?"

"Where are these fossil buried, exactly?" Dahlia asked impatiently.

Yamamoto hummed thoughtfully, walking over to one of the computers. "There should be one each in America, Europe, and Asia." he said, "And as for their specific whereabouts…" He typed something, and several pictures appeared on the screen. "Goldrush Canyon, Yodel Hills, and Lantern Lake."

We all nodded.

"America's my beat. Leave it to me." Leon said. He then looked at me, conflicted, before placing a hand on Roland's shoulder, startling the other boy. "Hey, Roland! You wanna be my backup?"

"Huh?" Roland gasped, "M-Me?"

"Yeah." Leon confirmed, "I'd go alone, but I'm allergic to seafood." He winked at me, and I smiled at him.

"Huh? But it's a fossil!" Roland argued, but one look into my pleading eyes quieted his protests.

"I'll take care of Europe!" Dahlia declared, "I've spent so much time racing around there, finding one little fossil should be easy." She then placed a hand on her hip. "Um, so what does an Ancient Eel fossil look like, anyway?"

"It's long and wriggly." Yamamoto explained, "But be sure to look for the specific pattern of-"

"Yeah, yeah. Long and wriggly. Got it!" Dahlia said, her impatient nature taking over.

"Looks like Asia is all you, Penny." Leon said to the blond girl.

"Got it." she said, turning to me, "Tria, you should probably stay with Nibbles to keep him calm."

"Roger." I agreed. That was my plan anyway. "Thanks, everyone."

"You don't have to thank us. We're friends!" Dahlia said, smiling at me. The others nodded in agreement.

"Let's do this for Nibbles!" Penny declared, and everyone cheered, heading out to find the Ancient Eel fossil.

"I'll be here if you need anything, Tria." Yamamoto told me.

"Thank you, Yamamoto. You're a lifesaver." I told him, making him blush slightly.

"Anytime, Tria." he said, patting my shoulder and smiling at me before heading to the computers to help guide the others.

Meanwhile, I sat next to Nibbles, gently stroking my hand over his head. He opened one of his green eyes, looking at me tiredly.

" _I-I'm sorry…_ " he gasped, struggling to speak. I lowered my head closer to his, keeping my voice quiet so that Yamamoto couldn't hear me.

"Relax, Nibbles." I whispered to him, "Our friends are searching for a cure for you right now, and I'm here, too."

" _You can't…_ " Nibbles' voice was getting weaker.

" _I can._ " I whispered back, keeping one hand on his head to comfort him while my other rested on his side, moving with his labored breathing. Nibbles laid his head back down on the table, closing his eyes as he relaxed into my touch. I smiled, glad that I could provide some comfort. I turned back to the lab's radio when I heard Penny's panicked voice through it.

"Tria! Yamamoto! We have a problem!" she cried. We could hear rapid stomping in the background.

"What is it, Penny?" Yamamoto asked.

"There's a huge Titano rampaging here! I think it ate an Ancient Eel fossil!" she replied, and we heard a crash, "Titano's a Water-type, so Hypsi's having some trouble!"

"I see…" Yamamoto muttered, looking at the screen, "There still seems to be an Ancient Eel fossil in that area, so you need to get past that Titano!"

"But how?" I wondered, maintaining contact with Nibbles, "Hypsi doesn't stand a chance on her own against a hyper Titano. She could call for backup, but everyone else is busy, and I can't leave Nibbles. What to do?"

Suddenly, the lab doors opened to reveal an excited Mei Lian, who only just narrowly avoided breaking down the doors in her rush.

"Tria!" she yelled, nearly running into me as she skidded to a halt, "I heard Nibbles was sick!"

"He is. Two Asian Wardens, as well as an American and European Warden, are out looking for a cure for him." I replied, lifting a hand to stabilize the senior Warden, "I'm glad you're feeling better, Mei Lian."

"Heck yeah! I'm good as new!" Mei Lian replied, grinning confidently, "Please, let me help, too!"

My eyes widened as I turned to face the girl.

"As will I!" a voice added from nowhere. A brief burst of white smoke filled the room, and there was Hanzo, eyes hard with determination.

"You too, Hanzo?!" I exclaimed, surprised to see the two veteran Asian Wardens, "Where is all this coming from? You two barely know Nibbles."

"I battled your little vivosaur!" Mei Lian replied, glaring at me, "And I want to battle him again someday!"

"And I still have to make amends with you, Tria." Hanzo said, looking at me seriously, "After all, it was I who let Kowloon escape when you had worked so hard to thwart his plans."

"And besides…" Mei Lian added, "You're our Paleo Pal! Of course we want to help you!" Hanzo nodded in agreement.

I smiled in gratitude, about to reply, but I then heard Penny's voice, giving desperate commands to her Hypsi as she battled with the powered-up Titano. My eyes widened again.

"Actually…" I said, "Penny's having trouble. She's trying to get an Ancient Eel fossil, which is buried in Lanturn Lake, but there's a wild Titano blocking her path. Her Hypsi's a Fire-type, which means she's not doing so well against it." I looked at my friends pleadingly. "Can you two help her?"

"Of course! A Titano's no match for me!" Mei Lian declared proudly, dashing back out of the lab.

"Consider it done." Hanzo assured me, disappearing the way he appeared.

"Wow, Tria." Yamamoto murmured after letting Penny know that help was on the way, "Those two were Hanzo and Mei Lian, right? Senior Wardens of Fossil Park Asia? And they were following your orders like you were their leader or something!"

"They're my Paleo Pals." I responded, turning my attention back to Nibbles, "Paleo Pals help one another. It's what we do."

Yamamoto smiled at me. "They also respect you. You're really making a name for yourself."

I shook my head, looking up at him with a wry smile. "If you have so much time for gossip, maybe I should let Professor Little know. I'm sure he'll find something for you to do."

Yamamoto threw his hands up, stammering protests as he ran back to the computer, tripping and almost falling on his face in the process. I felt Nibbles giggle under my hand, and I hid a small smile. Nibbles then coughed again, and I gently stroked his head.

"Relax." I whispered gently, "Our friends will be back with the Ancient Eel fossils soon."

" _Your_ _friends._ " Nibbles growled cynically, although he was too weak for his glare to hold any power.

"No, Nibbles. Our friends." I corrected the small vivosaur, "They're fighting for you."

Nibbles huffed, relaxing under my hands. I smiled, concentrating on helping my small partner. After a few more minutes, the doors opened, revealing an excited Penny, followed closely by Mei Lian and Hanzo. Penny was holding a fossil of what looked like a snake-like creature. Penny was grinning from ear-to-ear, and the other two looked pleased with themselves.

"We got it! We got the Ancient Eel fossil!" Penny announced, bringing it over to us.

"Excellent!" Yamamoto exclaimed, "Give it to Nibbles! It'll buy more time for the others."

"Here, Tria." Penny said, handing me the fossil, "I think you should give this to Nibbles. He trusts you more than any of us."

"Yeah." I agreed, taking the fossil. The moment I touched it, I felt the fossil energy surge down my arms, causing me to shudder. Before I dropped the fossil, I opened Nibbles' mouth and placed the energy-filled rock on his tongue. He opened his eyes and looked at me before closing his jaws around the fossil, chewing slowly. After he swallowed it, he opened his eyes a little bit wider and lifted his head.

"How do you feel?" I asked him. He tilted his head, a contemplative look on his face, before replying.

" _Better._ " he growled, although he still sounded weak, " _It really packs a punch._ "

"That's the idea." I replied, earning me some confused glances from the humans in the room. Before any of them could question me, however, the doors opened again, admitting Leon and Roland, who were carrying another Eel fossil.

"We're back!" Roland announced, smiling proudly, "We got the Ancient Eel fossil!"

"Hmph." Leon huffed, handing me the fossil, "Too easy." His grin was smug.

"Thank you Leon, Roland." I told them gratefully, giving the Eel fossil to Nibbles, who chewed and swallowed it a little bit more enthusiastically.

"He's looking better already!" Mei Lian exclaimed, a mix of excitement and relief in her voice.

"And who exactly are you two?" Leon asked, annoyed by Mei Lian's hyperactive nature.

Everyone in the room jolted, glancing between the Asian and American Warden nervously.

"Uh, Leon." Penny muttered, holding her hands up as she cautiously approached the American Warden.

"They are Mei Lian and Hanzo." Roland explained, standing on Leon's other side, "They are strong veteran Wardens here in Fossil Park Asia. Surely you've heard of them?"

"Nope." Leon replied, unintimidated by the fuming kung-fu girl, "Never. I'm an American Warden. Why should I have?"

Hanzo had to physically restrain Mei Lian to keep her from ripping Leon to pieces. I shook my head, looking back at Nibbles. He sighed, sounding annoyed. I smiled.

"You really do look better." I told him, to which he simply snorted, "Now we just have to wait for Dahlia."

As if on cue, the lab doors opened, revealing the excited redhead, carrying a fossil rock. The fossil seemed different from the others I had received, but she looked very proud of herself, so I didn't comment.

"Hey! I'm back!" she declared to us, "I got the Ancient Eel fossil!"

Everyone smiled and began cheering happily. However, I knew something was wrong the moment Dahlia handed the fossil to me. My arms didn't start tingling when I touched it, which meant that it didn't have much fossil energy like the Ancient Eel fossil did. Yamamoto seemed to notice that something was wrong as well, because he approached me.

"Tria, may I see that for a second?" he asked me. I nodded, handing him the fossil. He took one look at it before his eyes widened.

"Um…is something wrong?" Dahlia asked. Everyone turned to look at the lab assistant, whose expression had gone from confusion to panicked frustration.

"Dahlia!" he cried, "This isn't an Ancient Eel fossil!"

Everyone gasped, except Dahlia, who narrowed her eyes angrily.

"What?! Come on, look at it!" she exclaimed indignantly, "It doesn't get more long and wriggly than that!"

"It's long and wriggly all right." Yamamoto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "But this is the fossil of an Ancient Conger!"

"Oh, come on!" Dahlia continued to argue, "It totally looks like the others."

Yamamoto shook his head. "Yes, but the striations in the-" he began.

"It's not an Ancient Eel fossil." I said, catching everyone's attention.

"What?!" Dahlia exclaimed, clearly thinking that I would've taken her side.

"How do you know that, Tria?" Roland asked. He couldn't seem to tell the fossil apart from the one he had brought.

"Because the other two fossil held immense fossil energy." I replied, "I could feel it when I touched them. The energy made my arms shake. I could barely keep a hold on them."

"Really?" several voices sounded.

"I didn't notice anything like that when I held it." Penny said, confused, "Did you, Leon?"

"No." he replied, looking at me curiously, "I didn't."

"I didn't think either of you did." I stated, keeping my attention on Nibbles, "There's still time to search for the Ancient Eel fossil. Nibbles has already eaten the other two, so you all can go to Europe to search."

"No need." a voice said from the doorway. We all turned to see Nate enter the room. He was carrying a familiar fossil. "Hey, guys. Look what I found…"

"Wow, Nate! You found one!" Penny exclaimed, running up to the pink-haired male.

"Tria." Yamamoto whispered to me, "It looks like an Ancient Eel fossil. What do you think?"

I held out my hands, silently asking for the fossil. As soon as I touched it, I knew it was the real deal as the electric sensation shot up my arms. I smiled at Nate, placing the fossil on Nibbles' tongue, just as I had done with the other two.

"Hey, Nate." Roland addressed his comrade, "How come you're helping us? I thought you didn't want any part in this mission because Nibbles kept biting you right in the-"

"DON'T say it." Nate snapped defensively, "I didn't really do this for the vivosaur, especially after what he did to me. Twice."

"You DID ask for it. Both times." I muttered under my breath.

"But…" Nate continued, looking at me guiltily, "When I saw all you guys pitching in, it made me feel like a real loser."

"You are a loser." Mei Lian growled under her breath, earning a smack from Hanzo.

"Heh. Rookie." Leon chuckled.

"Thank you, Nate!" Roland said happily, patting him on the back. Penny hugged him excitedly.

"…Gurr…" Nibbles groaned. Everyone looked at the table where Nibbles was lying. He groaned again, staggering to his feet and hopping to the floor.

"Nibbles?" Penny asked uncertainly.

"How are you feeling now?" I added, smiling at my vivosaur partner.

Nibbles looked around, flexing his arm and leg muscles. He then roared happily and faced the group. "Graw-ooo!"

"Yay! He's back!" Penny cheered.

"I can't believe he ate three whole fossils! Wouldn't that hurt?" Roland asked, shocked.

"Not with those teeth!" Nate replied, shuddering, "It's a miracle my poor booty is still in one piece!"

"Aren't you happy, Nibbles?" Penny asked him, still smiling, "We all chipped in to cure you!"

"Grrr!" Nibbles growled at her.

"You're wasting your breath." Nate snarled bitterly, "It's not like he can understand you."

"Grah!" Nibbles barked, snapping at Nate.

"I dunno. He seems to really like us now!" Penny argued.

"Yeah, well, we'll see how you feel after he sinks his teeth in you!" Nate replied, turning away.

Nibbles turned to Nate, snapping his jaws playfully and causing the boy to fall backward. Everyone started laughing and cheering as Nibbles jumped around joyfully. I smiled, glad that he was finally starting to warm up to people, before collapsing back into my chair, only just realizing how tired I really was. Nibbles noticed this and trotted up to me.

"Grr?" he asked, " _Are you okay?_ "

"Oh, I'm fine." I assured the little vivosaur, my voice just above a whisper, "Just a little tired."

"What's wrong, Tria?" Penny asked me, her eyes shifting quickly from happy to worried.

I looked up to see everyone now gathered around me. I tried to smile reassuringly, but even I could tell it looked strained.

"You look like you're about to pass out!" Roland cried.

"I probably am." I muttered, standing shakily, "I just need to get to my room. It's been a long day…"

"That's right!" Nate exclaimed, as if in sudden realization, "You competed in two tournaments today!"

"And chased down the two BR Brigade lieutenants!" Mei Lian added, still sounding guilty at being unable to defeat Kowloon.

"No wonder you can barely stand." Leon stated, whistling in sympathy and awe at the amount of work I had done in one day. He then picked me up bridal-style, too quickly for me to object, and addressed the group.

"Dahlia and I will take Tria to her room. Yamamoto, try to report to Professor Little." Leon commanded, his bossy nature coming out.

"Right!" Yamamoto affirmed, moving back to the radio.

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried!" Dahlia informed the purple-haired male, placing a warm hand on my arm.

"I'll work on fixing Tria dinner!" Penny declared, grabbing Nate and Roland by the arms, "You two will help me!"

"Huh?!"

"Eh?!"

"We will report to Liu Ren." Hanzo said, grabbing Mei Lian again, a burst of white smoke almost drowning out Mei Lian's protests.

"Wait! I want to stay with Tria!"

As Leon carried me to my room, Nibbles and Dahlia following closely, I began to drift off, leaning my head against the American Warden's chest. I opened my eyes when I felt him chuckle.

"What are we gonna do with you, Tria?" he affectionately chided me.

"Exactly what you're doing now." I muttered, but Dahlia spoke over me.

"Do you even have to ask? We're going to help her, obviously!" she stated, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Which, in a way, it was. After all, it is natural for friends to help each other, right?

Once in my room, Leon put me down and left to check on dinner preparations, which was good, because it gave me a chance to change into my pajamas. Dahlia and Nibbles were still there, but I didn't mind, especially if I started feeling faint.

"Hey…Tria?" Dahlia mumbled, sounding as if she was half-hoping I wouldn't hear her. Having finished changing, I turned to her, disturbed by her unusually-subdued tone.

"I'm…I'm sorry." she mumbled, looking away. I titled my head questioningly.

"For what?" I asked, too tired to figure out what the redhead meant.

"For not bringing back the Ancient Eel fossil." Dahlia replied sadly, "I promised I'd help you. I still owe you for covering for me after the Speed Fiends incident, but I just let you down. I'm sorry."

I smiled in understanding, placing a hand on my friend's shoulder. "Hey, don't talk like that. It's not like you." I said, continuing when she looked up at me, "We all make mistakes. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and everything worked out in the end, so cheer up! Use this as a learning experience and continue to grow as a Warden!"

Dahlia smiled at me, still not entirely convinced, but relieved that I wasn't mad. As she helped me sit up in my bed, a thoughtful look crossed her face. I arched an eyebrow as she looked at me in confusion.

"By the way, Tria." she said, sitting on the bed so that she was facing me, "When you touched the Ancient Eel fossils, you said you felt the fossil energy in them, but Penny and Leon didn't feel anything when they touched them." She tilted her head. "Do you have any idea why?"

Nibbles growled suddenly, dangerously, and Dahlia jumped, startled by the lethal intent in the small vivosaur's voice.

"Whoa!" she cried, more surprised than scared, "What's his problem?!"

I placed a hand on Nibbles' head, trying to calm him. "He's very protective." I explained, "He doesn't like when people confront or interrogate me. He sees it as a challenge."

"Oh." Dahlia muttered, sounding kind of guilty, "I wasn't…challenging you. I was just curious…"

"I know." I said, smiling at her while stroking the still-growling vivosaur's head. A moment later, he stopped growling and lifted his head, sniffing the air. I followed his lead, smelling the air before smiling at the confused redhead. "Dinner's here."

Sure enough, a second later, the door opened, revealing Leon, followed by the five Asian Wardens. They were all carrying trays and plates of food.

"Hey, Tria!" Mei Lian greeted me, "We finished reporting to Liu Ren, so we decided to join you for dinner!"

"We brought enough food for everyone!" Penny stated proudly.

"Thanks, guys." I said, smiling gratefully at the group. My smile widened when I noticed that Nibbles, although looking uncomfortable at the large group of humans, had not tried to hide or attack (excluding a playful snap at Nate. I don't think he'll ever get tired of teasing the poor boy.)

"Hey. What are friends for?" Leon pointed out, earning happy cheers of agreement from the others.

I continued to smile at my friends, thankful for their support. We ate in my room, laughing and sharing stories and having a good time. The question of the Ancient Eel fossils never came up, which I was grateful for. After dinner, everyone cleared out, or rather, were chased out by Penny when she noticed that I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. With the room quiet once more, Nibbles curled up against my side, looking at me with his large green eyes.

" _You didn't have to do that, you know?_ " he rumbled quietly, more felt than heard. I looked down at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by his out-of-context statement.

" _You didn't have to give me energy like that._ " he elaborated, " _I would've been fine._ "

I snorted, gripping his head in silent scolding. "Don't lie to me, Nibbles. If I hadn't given you energy, you would've been gone before the first Ancient Eel fossil got to you."

Nibbles snorted, as if in denial, but nuzzled closer to me regardless. " _You still didn't have to give me yours._ "

I laughed softly, hugging the little vivosaur closer as I fell asleep, the activities and fatigue of the day finally catching up to me.


	21. Stop Blackraven!

I was roused from sleep by a gentle nudging at my side. I opened my eyes, cringing as they were assaulted by the morning light. Trying again, I focused my eyes on Nibbles, who was still lying next to me. He was looking at me, almost grinning with amusement.

" _What's so funny?_ " I grumbled, making him chuckle.

" _Your face._ " he replied, baring all of his teeth in his now-full grin.

I snorted, almost shoving my companion off the bed. " _Shut up._ "

"Good morning, Tria!" Penny greeted me as she walked into the room, "Breakfast is ready! How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks." I replied, smiling at the excitable blond as I got dressed. We followed her to the kitchen, where Nate and Roland were already eating.

"Hey, Tria! You're awake!" Roland called to me, waving.

"Looks like that can-chomping vivosaur is with you, too…" Nate muttered through a mouthful of egg. He backed up when Nibbles ran up to him, growling playfully. "Tria! Get your butt-biting vivosaur away from me!"

"Hm…" I hummed, pretending to consider Nate's request, "No, I don't think so." I then grinned, innocently sadistic. "Nibbles spends so much time with me; he needs a new playmate."

Nate stared at me, horrified, before taking off out of the Fossil Center. The rest of us laughed, including Nibbles.

"I don't care what Nate says." Penny said through her giggles, "I still think Nibbles likes us more now."

"Oh, he does." I replied, smiling, "He just likes to tease Nate. He enjoys the reaction."

"As long as he doesn't start chewing on us." Roland mumbled under his breath, shrinking away when the small vivosaur glanced at him.

"Oh, by the way." I said after everyone had calmed down, "Have Captain Stryker and Professor Little come back yet?"

"Hm. I don't know." Penny said after swallowing a bite of her toast.

"Where did they go, anyway?" Roland asked, looking at me. They had learned that, if something was going on, I most likely knew what it was.

I shrugged. "They went to check out a lead on Blackraven." I said. I didn't know how much I was allowed to reveal, but it's not like they didn't already know enough to guess that conclusion. "I should probably go see if they're back."

After bidding good morning to Penny and Roland, Nibbles and I rode the elevator up to the Captain's office. As soon as we stepped out, we were greeted by Captain Stryker himself.

"Good timing, Tria." he said when he saw me, "I was about to send for you."

"Good morning, Tria." Professor Little greeted me from his usual place beside the Captain's desk, "We heard about what happened with Nibbles yesterday. We're glad he's okay."

"Grr." Nibbles growled, embarrassed by the attention he was clearly unused to receiving.

Stryker nodded in agreement before continuing, "We're back from San Freezin, the icy penitentiary where Dr. Blackraven was being held. And when we examined his cell, we found something truly terrifying." Stryker crossed his arms and leaned back, turning to his young green-haired companion. "Professor, if you would?"

Professor Little cleared his throat and stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back as if to give a classroom presentation.

"Upon superficial examination, it looked like an ordinary prison cell." he explained, "However, I performed an infrared scan of the walls and the floor and discovered something quite shocking." Professor Little clenched his fists, trying to still his trembling body. "Every surface of the cell was covered in mathematical equations of stunning complexity! It seems Dr. Blackraven found a way to write on the surfaces with some kind of invisible ink. And he used his five years of captivity to complete work on some kind of theory."

"What kind of theory?" I asked, a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Well…" Little muttered, still unnerved by what he had seen, "As far as I can tell, he was working on a method of…time travel."

I gulped, and Nibbles shuddered. So that's why Elric was so upset.

Professor Little continued, "He seems to have figured out a way to build a time gate that can link the present with the past. But creating such a gate is not easy. It requires enormous power, as well as an incredibly rare metal found only in the deepest reaches of space…Cosmonium!"

I gritted my teeth, growling low in my throat. Nibbles pressed himself against my legs, whimpering quietly. Our distress seemed to go unnoticed by Captain Stryker, who picked up where the Professor left off.

"If his theory is sound-and it's my opinion that it is-I have no doubt he intends to create just such a time gate. This explains why his henchmen stole both the Mega Electrominite and the trophies." he said, his brow wrinkled as he pondered this puzzle, "What we don't understand is WHY he wants to travel through time. But knowing the doctor, there can't be a good reason for it. He's been seeking world domination his entire life, after all." Stryker slammed his hands on his desk in frustration. "The situation could not be more dire. We must stop his plans no matter what!"

"Yeah…" I whispered. The two males didn't hear me.

"Luckily for us, the time gate won't open in just any old place. It must be activated in an area where there's an existing warble in the space-time continuum." Little said, attempting to sound optimistic, "We've established a list of such locations around the world. Now we just have to investigate them one at a time and see what we find."

Stryker nodded, "I've contacted the leaders of each branch and issued their orders. However," He looked up at me, grim. "It seems the American branch is running dangerously low on personnel. I need you to head to the American branch right away, Tria."

"Yes, sir! I'm on my way." I said, saluting the Captain before turning on my heel and heading toward the elevator.

"Good luck!" I heard Stryker call before the elevator doors closed behind me.

" _America again?_ " Nibbles groaned, sounding frustrated.

"That's where we're needed." I stated simply, looking at my companion, "What's wrong with America?"

" _The humans._ " he growled, " _The purple human has an attitude and the leader is loud._ "

"I won't argue with that." I said with a sigh, heading toward the World Gate, "But they're not bad. That's just who they are. Besides…" I smirked at him. "You have an attitude too, you know."

Nibbles snorted dismissively, following me through the World Gate. As soon as I entered the American Fossil Park, I was greeted by a young boy with rusty-red hair and a symbol on his forehead.

"Tria!" Lucky cried when he saw me, running up and jumping on me as he locked his arms around my torso, "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Hey there, Lucky." I said, smiling down at the young male, "It has been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry I've been too busy to hang out with you lately."

"It's okay!" Lucky waved off the apology, "I know there's something going on. Leon's been really busy, too…" He looked down at the floor, smiling sadly. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Lucky." I said, kneeling down so that we were at eye-level, "But don't worry. Once this trouble is over, things will be peaceful again. And when that happens, we'll all hang out and go digging together again."

Lucky sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "Promise?"

I smiled reassuringly. "Promise." Then, with one last pat on Lucky's shoulder, I stood back up and walked into the elevator that led up to Sean's office. When I got there, the American leader was waiting for me. Leon was standing by Sean's desk, his arms crossed. I smiled at him, earning me a smile in return before I faced Sean.

"Hey! Thanks for coming!" Sean greeted me, "Dunno if you heard, but America's crammed to the gills with these space-time warbles. It's super trippy. We totally don't have enough folks to search all of 'em. Anyway, I was hoping you and Leon could team up and give us a hand."

I looked at Leon, who turned to face me.

"It's no secret that I prefer working alone. But if it's you, Tria…" He smiled, placing a hand on his hip, "I guess it couldn't hurt to bring backup on this one."

"Sweet!" Sean said happily, glad that Leon wasn't fighting teamwork this time, "So you're gonna help, right, Tria?"

"Of course!" I replied, smiling. Sean beamed, his smile as blinding as ever.

"You are the BEST! Ok! I'm gonna have you check a warble over in the Starry Falls dig site. Oh, and the BR Brigade might be hanging around, so don't do anything crazy! If you spy 'em, just stand down and let everybody know. Cool?"

"Yes sir!" I said.

"You got it, Chief." Leon added.

"Cool…" Sean muttered as he went back to work figuring out where he should go next.

"Come on, Tria." Leon said, leading me out of the office.

"Starry Falls…" I mumbled thoughtfully, "I don't think I've been there yet."

"It can be difficult to navigate sometimes." Leon explained, crossing his arms again, "It's always nighttime there, so it's always dark. The vivosaurs seem to come out of nowhere and the path can be hard to see. But…" He smiled at me, putting an arm around me as he often does. "It's also very pretty and peaceful. I like going there to relax."

"Relax…I'd like that." I sighed, leaning against the taller male and closing my eyes, "I haven't had time to do that recently."

"None of us have." Leon said, sighing as well. Nibbles snorted and rolled his eyes, catching Leon's attention. "What's his problem?"

"He's annoyed at how easily humans get tired." I replied, shrugging dismissively. Leon glared at Nibbles, who glared back unflinchingly. I sighed again, smacking both of them, Leon's side and Nibbles' nose, as the doors opened. We headed toward the Garage, but we were stopped when a familiar redhead jumped on Leon.

"Leon!" Lucky cried happily, "I didn't know Tria was coming to see you! You should have told me!"

"Lucky! Get off!" Leon yelled, a deep blush on his face as he tried to pry the boy off of him, "Tria was sent here by the Captain to help me investigate a dig site!"

"Oooh!" Lucky hummed in realization, "Which one? Can I come? I can help!"

"No way!" Leon barked, shutting down the excited boy's request outright.

"Why not?" Lucky cried, tears appearing in his eyes.

"Because it could be dangerous!" Leon argued, turning to me for help, "Tell him, Tria!"

But I wasn't paying attention. I had noticed someone standing in the parking lot, waiting to speak with me. I nodded to him, looking at the two males.

"Actually, a little extra backup might not be such a bad idea." I said, locking eyes with Lucky, "But Leon's right. It might be dangerous. Are you willing to face danger and put yourself at risk, Lucky?"

"Of course!" he answered immediately while Leon gaped at me, "You guys are always too busy to hang out with me, so the least I can do is help you do your jobs! Besides, it'll give me experience so I can become a Warden when I get older!"

"Excellent!" I accepted his answer, pushing them both towards the Garage before Leon could form a coherent protest, "Then you're riding with Leon. I'll meet you both there shortly!"

"Wait a minute! What are you- Tria?!" Lean called as he was dragged into his Bone Buggy by his excited companion. I simply waved at him as I ran to the parking lot to meet the silver-haired male who was waiting for me.

"You certainly have a battle ahead of you." Elric said as I approached him. He looked grim.

"I'm sorry, Elric." I muttered, looking down, "I failed to keep Blackraven from getting the tools he needed to create the time gate. Please forgive me."

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to meet the golden eyes of my childhood friend.

"It's all right, Tria." he said, smiling kindly, "You did everything you could in your situation. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, but-!" I tried to argue, but Elric held up a finger, silently interrupting me.

"Right now, you should be focusing on stopping Blackraven from opening the time gate."

I looked into Elric's eyes, placing my hand over the one he had on my shoulder. "So he is there, huh." When Elric nodded, I gripped his hand. "I know you're not supposed to interfere, but…"

"Say no more." Elric picked up, understanding what I was saying, "I had already planned to follow you in. I will remain hidden, but I'll be there."'

"Thanks, Elric." I said, giving him a quick hug before running back towards the Garage. I looked back just in time to see him secretly enter the Garage. I smiled, getting into my own blue Digger's Rig and driving through the portal to Starry Falls. As soon as I arrived, I was met with Leon's scowling face on my screen.

"Took you long enough, Tria! You stop for donuts or something?" he snarled at me. I laughed, catching the underlying question of "And why'd you stick me with the kid?"

"Sorry, Leon! I had to have a word with someone." I replied, "How are you doing, Lucky?"

"Good!" he answered as his face appeared on the screen, "Leon's in a bad mood, though."

"I wonder why." Leon growled sarcastically, glaring at me. I just smiled.

"He'll get over it. Come on, let's get going!" I called, driving forward, with Leon following lazily behind. After a few minutes of navigating the dark dig site, Lucky piped up again.

"By the way, what are we looking for exactly?" he asked.

Leon didn't respond, simply looking at me. He made it clear that I would have to handle this one myself.

"You'll know it when we find it." I said simply, smirking at the irritated look the psychic boy gave me. Leon arched his eyebrow, looking at me curiously. I just kept driving, leading my companions deeper into the darkened dig site.

After a few more minutes of driving, we came upon a group of three familiar black Bone Buggies. I narrowed my eyes.

"Tria, look!" Leon called, also noticing the group, "Those Bone Buggies look suspicious to you?"

"They sure do!" I replied.

"I'll bet my next pension that's the BR Brigade!" Leon said as we stopped out of sight.

"The BR Brigade?!" Lucky cried, "That's who we're looking for?!"

"Crud…" Leon muttered, glaring at me. I was unfazed.

"That's right." I replied simply, "At least, that's part of it. Better call it in, Leon."

"Yeah…" Leon muttered, calling the American Fossil Park. He had a look of concentration on his face, but that soon gave way to a look of frustration, which was immediately followed by an angry, "Son of a bitch!"

"Leon!" I scolded him.

"It's okay, Tria!" Lucky called back to me, "Leon swears around me all the time!"

I sighed in frustration, turning my focus back to the mission. "What's wrong, Leon?" I asked him, my irritation replaced by concern when he didn't respond to either of us.

"These SOBs are jammin' my radio!" he finally responded, slamming the communicator back into its slot with more force than necessary, "No choice now, Tria. We gotta go in and take these deadbeats down!"

"W-Wait! We're going in?!" Lucky exclaimed, suddenly unsure about joining us.

"We don't have a choice!" Leon repeated, "You're the one who wanted to join us on this mission! Now let's show 'em how we do things downtown!"

"Yeah! Downtown!" I added, fueling Leon's fighting spirit and inspiring Lucky.

Together, we drove forward, surprising the BR Brigade. It was clear that these guys were mere lackeys, pretty low in the organization's hierarchy.

"Hold it right there, dirtbags!" Leon yelled.

"Yeah! Hold it!" Lucky mimicked, repeating his idol's words. I smiled.

"Oh crap! It's the fuzz!" one of the BR lackeys cried, backing up.

"This is bad!" another one yelled.

"Don't let them near Dr. Blackraven!" the third one ordered, driving forward to meet us, leading the other two to do the same.

"Dr. Blackraven's here?!" Lucky squeaked.

"Sounds like it." I replied easily, "Let's take them down!"

"Let's see you try!" one of them yelled in challenge as they sent out their team: the Water-type venomer Angato, the large Air-type sauropod Ampelo, and the massive Fire-type carnivorous Giganto.

Lucky screamed, the huge, hate-filled vivosaurs like nothing he'd ever faced. Leon and I were unfazed, releasing our vivosaurs: Ptera and Gorgo. The two vivosaurs roared at their opponents, ready to fight.

"Come on, Lucky!" Leon yelled to the younger boy, "If you're gonna be here, help us fight! Release Ajka!"

Lucky squeaked again fearfully, tears forming in his eyes. But with one more look into Leon's determined eyes, than at the reassuring smile on my face, he threw his Dino Gear out the window, releasing the small Water-type ceratopsian. Ajka roared, matching the ferocity of the other two vivosaurs and making up for his fighter's nervousness.

The three vivosaurs faced off against the BR Brigade's team: Ptera vs. Angato, Gorgo vs. Ampelo, Ajka vs. Giganto.

"Ptera! Middle Spear!" Leon ordered quickly, his impatient attitude reflected in his vivosaur's speedy attack. Ptera dove at the Water-type carnivore, shrieking.

"Oh no you don't!" Angato's fighter growled, "Angato! Halitosis!"

The vivosaur roared, releasing a dark purple mist from its long, crocodilian mouth. The mist engulfed Ptera, who coughed and wavered. But Ptera, much like his fighter, was stubborn, and would not be grounded so easily. He screamed, determination entering his voice as he vowed to take his opponent down with him. He flapped his wings, increasing the power behind his dive. As Ptera's beak connected with Angato's chest, the carnivore screeched in pain, disappearing in a burst of light. With his job done, Ptera landed on Leon's Bone Buggy, disappearing as he succumbed to Angato's poison.

"That's it for Ptera…" Leon muttered in frustration, "You guys better have my back!"

"You know we do!" I called back, right as Gorgo brought down Ampelo with a well-placed bite to the neck, "Excellent work, Gorgo!"

"ROAWR!" Gorgo replied, accepting my praise. He then turned his slitted eyes to the battle between Ajka and Giganto, which didn't seem to be going well.

"Come on, Ajka! Hang in there!" Lucky cried, "Dome Dash!"

Ajka roared, charging forward and ramming his armored head into Giganto's chest. However, the massive carnivore's size gave it an advantage over its smaller opponent, and it simply rebuffed the attack, charging toward Ajka with its jaws agape, as if to swallow him whole.

"Oh no!" Lucky cried, "Ajka, watch out!"

The small vivosaur stared at his opponent fearfully, his unbalanced stance not allowing him to evade the strike.

"Gorgo! Shoulder Tackle!" I ordered quickly. Gorgo bellowed in confirmation, charging and intercepting the larger Fire-type, knocking it off balance. "Lucky! Now's your chance!"

"Thanks, Tria!" Lucky called back, before focusing on the battle, "Ajka! Rocket Smash!"

Ajka roared angrily, jumping into the air and diving toward his opponent, somewhat mimicking Ptera's dive. He slammed Giganto into the ground, howling victoriously as the carnivore disappeared, following its teammates back to its fighter.

"We did it!" Lucky cheered.

"The BR Brigade is nothin' when we team up!" Leon added happily, ruffling Lucky's dark red hair and causing the younger boy to beam with joy and pride, "Let's keep movin'!"

"Not quite yet." I interjected, "There are more."

"What?" Lucky asked, looking at me in confusion.

"Crud. Looks like we've got more trash to take out." Leon grumbled, "We'll never get to Dr. Blackraven at this rate."

Suddenly, a white-and-lavender Speed Demon drove from the shadows, slamming into the three Bone Buggies that had replaced the first ones and knocking them all out of commission.

"Allow me to take care of this, Tria! You should keep going!" a familiar voice came in through my radio. My eyes widened.

"Elric!" I exclaimed, "But why-?"

"No time to explain! Keep moving!" Elric interrupted, his tone urgent.

"I dunno who that guy is, but I think I owe him a soda." Leon said, "Let's go, Tria!"

I gulped, looking at Elric's Bone Buggy uncertainly, before nodding and following Leon and Lucky further into the dig site. If Elric was willing to reveal his presence to allow us to keep moving, that meant something big was about to happen.

"Hey, Tria." Leon said after a few minutes, "Who was that guy?"

"Huh?" I asked, snapping out of the daze I had fallen into.

"What do you mean, Leon?" Lucky asked, confused, "If you don't know the guy, why would Tria?"

"Didn't you hear, Lucky?" Leon asked, glancing at me on his screen, "She called him by name. Elric, wasn't it? And he knew her name, too."

I looked at Leon, then glanced a Nibbles, who looked at me curiously, before sighing.

"Yeah…Elric Bellamy. He's an old friend of mine." I replied, focusing my gaze back on the road. Leon wasn't satisfied.

"An old friend? What's he doing here? And why have you never mentioned him?"

"He's worried about the trouble in the Fossil Parks, and you never asked about my other friends, so there was no reason to tell you." I responded, trying desperately to remain calm. I've always hated being interrogated.

Leon seemed taken aback by my response. I hadn't meant for it to sound so harsh, but right now, I had too much on my mind. I had to stop Blackraven before he could destabilize the space-time continuum.

After driving through the river and numerous streams (and narrowly avoiding a rampaging Penta), we neared the heart of the dig site. We both stopped, immediately sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"That warble should be just ahead." Leon said seriously, "We took out the small fry, so I bet the big cheese is around here somewhere." Leon looked at Lucky, eyes calculating. "Lucky, I want you to stay out of this fight. The BR Brigade's big guns are up ahead. You'd just be in the way."

"But-" Lucky tried to argue, insulted, but he was interrupted, this time by me.

"Leon's right, Lucky." I said, looking at both of them on my screen, "I've faced both of the lieutenants, and I only managed to defeat one." I looked at Lucky sympathetically. "I know you want to help, but these guys are far out of your league, so please, leave them to me and Leon."

Lucky looked hurt, shifting his gaze between me and Leon, before sighing, defeated, and slouching in his chair, pouting. "Fine…"

Leon turned back to me, a small grateful smile on his face. "Time to go in there and start bustin' heads. You ready?"

"Ready!" I replied in affirmation. Leon's smile widened.

"Come on, partner!" he yelled, flooring his Turf Shredder's accelerator.

"Right behind you!" I yelled back, smiling at the nickname 'partner'. As we drove forward, we heard a deep, crazed voice laughing. It was coming from the largest Bone Buggy in the clearing.

"Heh heh heh…My plan is working! The time gate is beginning to form! Soon it will stabilize, and then nothing will be able to stop me!" the man driving the largest Bone Buggy laughed maniacally, "My five years of rotting away in that cell are about to pay off! Bwaaa ha ha!"

I cringed, feeling slightly ill. The man was truly disgusting. He had spikey white hair that was mostly hidden under a strange golden helmet that had red button on the front and wires leading to golden plates on his shoulders. He had a long nose with a metal-cased wart, and one of his eyes was covered by a red lens that was likely used for night vision. I growled dangerously. Blackraven.

"So this is Dr. Blackraven…" Leon snarled. Lucky squeaked, suddenly thankful that we hadn't let him fight. Leon then spoke into the microphone, addressing the BR Brigade leader, "You! With the funny helmet! Hold it right there!"

"Freeze, Blackraven!" I roared threateningly. Nibbles growled, adding his own voice to mine.

"Hm? What's this?" Blackraven wondered, turning to face us, "Who is this rabble?"

"They're Wardens, Doctor." the voice of lieutenant Kowloon answered as he drove closer to us.

"They are like cockroach, yes? Always appearing after being stepped upon." Olga added in annoyance, driving between us and Blackraven alongside Kowloon.

"Wardens?!" Blackraven exclaimed, suddenly furious, "That's the organization that miserable Stryker is in charge of!" He then laughed confidently, "Still, it matters not. There's no stopping us now! Stoganoff! Kowloon! Crush these insects under your boots!"

"Consider it done." Kowloon snarled, grinning sadistically.

"With greatest of pleasures!" Olga smiled, looking innocently pleased.

"Heh. Bring it on, chumps!" Leon called back, releasing Ptera. Olga and Kowloon released their dark vivosaurs, and I looked at Nibbles.

"You ready for this, buddy?" I asked my little companion.

" _Of course!_ " Nibbles growled as he jumped out of my Digger's Rig, shifting into his new form. Leon and Lucky gasped.

"Woah…" Leon muttered, looking at Nibbles, "That's new…"

Lucky stood up in his seat, eyes sparkling in awe as his terror was temporarily forgotten. "Wow! Is that your transforming vivosaur? He looks totally different now!"

The two dark vivosaurs roared, unfazed by Nibbles' battle form. Their fighters drove forward, also unfazed.

"I'm glad it was you who found us, Tria." Kowloon said, smirking.

"Most indeed! We are having score to settle, no?" Olga added, "This time I will be master chef and you will be borscht! Ha ha ha!"

"We'll see about that!" I barked back, accepting their challenge.

"Bring it on!" Leon yelled, offended that the two lieutenants were ignoring him.

"GRRAWR!" Nibbles roared.

"Zinodious! Claw Down on Ptera!" Kowloon commanded. The dark therazinosaur roared gleefully as it jumped over Ptera, bringing him to the ground with his claws.

"Crud! Ptera's weak in that stance!" Leon cursed, "Get up, Ptera!"

"Too late for that!" Kowloon laughed, "Toxic Rush, Zinodious!"

Zinodious charged forward, long claws darkening with poison. However, before it could reach the vulnerable flying vivosaur, it was stopped in its tracks.

"Nibbles! Dizzying Bite on Zinodious!" I ordered. Nibbles roared, lunging forward and closing his jaws around the dark vivosaur's neck, shaking it violently before letting it go. As Zinodious staggered back, dizzy, Gorgostroika charged.

"Gorgostroika! Shoulder Tackle!" Olga commanded, not really caring who her vivosaur actually targeted. Gorgostroika bellowed in challenge, aiming its charge at Nibbles, who seemed easier to hit. However, Leon wasn't having any of it.

"Ptera! Middle Spear!" Ptera, who was just gotten airborne again, screeched, looping through the air and slamming into the charging therapod. Gorgostroika staggered backward, its stance weak to the attack.

"Enough of this!" Kowloon yelled angrily, "Zinodious! Claw Strike on that weird transforming vivosaur!"

"I don't think so!" Leon snarled, "Ptera! Wing Blaster!"

Ptera flapped his large wings, temporarily freezing Zinodious with its claws raised. I smirked.

"Let's finish this, Nibbles! Saurus Tackle!"

Nibbles roared, slamming his horn into the defenseless vivosaur. As Zinodious disappeared in a flash of light, Gorgostroika bellowed loudly.

"This will not be tolerating!" Olga yelled, "Gorgostroika! Corpse Breath!"

The corrupted Gorgo growled dangerously, silver teeth flashing as it released a sickening yellowish mist with a stench that was reminiscent of rotting flesh.

"Urp! I think I'm gonna be sick!" Lucky exclaimed, his face turning green.

"Not in here, you're not!" Leon snapped, although he was also covering his mouth and nose.

"Leon!" I called to him, "Have Ptera blow this stuff away!"

"Oh, right!" Leon exclaimed, "Ptera…Wing Blaster…urp!"

Ptera, without opening his mouth, rose into the air, flapping his wings and dissipating the putrid mist. I seized my chance.

"Quickly, Nibbles! Saurus Tackle once more!"

Nibbles' eyes narrowed as he charged forward, using his horn to send his last opponent back to its fighter. As Gorgostroika transformed back into a Dino Gear, the two lieutenants backed up.

"No! Not again!" Kowloon snarled, cringing.

"I am not understanding!" Olga cried in confused despair.

"Time's up, Doc!" Leon yelled confidently.

"You're going back to prison!" I added, narrowing my eyes at the smirk the BR Brigade leader was wearing. As I expected, he laughed.

"Bwa ha ha ha! Is that really what you think?" he called to us. Suddenly, an electrified wave shot from the growing time gate. It hit our Bone Buggies directly, causing them to short out, smoke rising from their hoods. Out transmission screens went black, although the audio remained functional for some reason. I felt something else fail too, but I was too focused on the current situation to investigate.

"Ugh! What the hell's going on?! My Bone Buggy won't budge!" Leon exclaimed, frustrated.

"Mine's stuck, too…" I growled, silently cursing the doctor as I heard Lucky whimper fearfully.

Blackraven laughed. "I'll take the liberty of assuming you pathetic fools are unfamiliar with the concept of electromagnetic interference. And I'll also assume your feeble minds are incapable of understanding it." he explained patronizingly, "All you need to know is this…Your Bone Buggies are no longer operational. Ours, however, are just fine."

Leon growled, cursing the doctor more openly than I did. I clenched my steering wheel, a wave of guilt washing over me when I heard Lucky sobbing. I was the one who insisted on letting him come along. I would never forgive Blackraven for this.

"Now, my lieutenants! Attack! Make these roaches pay!" the doctor commanded, and his lieutenants drove forward once more.

"I usually like my fights to be a bit more sporting…" Kowloon said, sounding somewhat-disappointed, "But in this case, I'll make an exception. Dr. Blackraven isn't the kind of man you want to make angry, after all. Heh heh heh…."

"I hope you are ready with the saying of many prayers!" Olga laughed gleefully, smiling in her usual vacant way.

"Don't worry, Lucky. We'll make it out of here." I heard Leon whisper to Lucky, his tone more gentle than I'd ever heard from him. I could picture him cradling the smaller boy against his chest. The boy's cries were muffled, but they were enough to make my heart clench.

Suddenly, I heard massive footsteps speeding toward us. I looked up to see a large white carnivore leap over our Bone Buggies, landing between us and the lieutenants.

"No…it's not possible…" Blackraven stuttered, trembling, although it was unclear whether it was with fear or rage.

"Hey, wait…is that?!" Leon cried, startled.

"It is." I muttered, lowering my head in shame as a familiar red Digger's Rig drove up behind us.

"STRYKER?!" Blackraven screamed, eyes filling with a hatred similar to that of the corrupted vivosaurs.

"Better late to the party than not at all." Captain Stryker said, sounding perfectly calm as he drove between us and the BR Brigade alongside his Spino ST, "As soon as we noticed communications were down, I headed out here. Looks like my instincts were right." His calm demeanor then melted away as his natural authority took over. "It's over, Doctor! We know all about your plans! But you'll never get the time gate open, and you'll never go back in time five years to reverse the moment you were captured!"

At this accusation, I sighed as Blackraven began laughing maniacally.

"Five years?! FIVE years?! BWAA HA HA HA! Oh, my dear Stryker! You always were a man of little vision!" The mad doctor shook his head. "We're going back in time, all right…To a time where real dinosaurs ruled the planet!" As everyone (except me) gasped in shock, Blackraven laughed even louder. "Oh, this is so delicious! Allow me to enlighten you! You see, I intend to use a brainwashing device upon the ancient world! Each and every dinosaur will bend to my will, and mine alone! True loyalty! Right down to their bones!"

"Hang on!" Leon exclaimed, "This nutcase is gonna bring live dinosaurs back to our time?!"

"No." I muttered, answering before Blackraven could, "What he plans is far more terrifying…If every dinosaur from the past is under Blackraven's control, think how they'll respond once they're revived. They'll become vivosaurs that serve only him! That's what he means by making them loyal 'right down to their bones'."

Blackraven laughed as more shocked gasps echoed from the others. "I'll give you this, Stryker-you certainly know how to pick clever subordinates. Soon, I will be unstoppable! The more fossils you revive, the more servants I will have at my beck and call. All the Fossil Fighters in the world will beg to serve me! And the Wardens will be little more than dust in the wind!"

"I won't let you get away with this!" Stryker yelled, driving forward.

"Oh, I'll be getting away, all right." Blackraven taunted as his and his lieutenants' Bone Buggies began to rise into the air, "In fact, it seems my time gate has finally stabilized. I would love to stay and listen to more idle threats, but I'm a very busy man. Enjoy the last few moments you have before the world is enclosed in my fist! Bwa ha! Bwaaa ha ha ha!"

"No! You can't!" Stryker cried out, attempting to chase after the madman as he disappeared through the time gate, his minions close behind.

"No!" I cried, but it was futile. The time gate closed behind them, leaving a painful silence in its wake.

"Blast!" Stryker exclaimed.

"Damn it!" Leon yelled, slamming his fist on his steering wheel.

"What are we gonna do now?" Lucky cried, likely clinging to Leon again.

"We failed…" I whispered, looking down at my busted controls. It was then that I saw my reflection in the black transmission screen.

"AHHHH!"

I couldn't contain the scream that escaped my throat. Nibbles looked at me with wide eyes.

"Tria?" Stryker asked, attempting to turn his Digger's Rig toward mine.

"What's wrong, Tria?!" Leon exclaimed, startled by the sound I had just made.

"Tria?!" Lucky cried, suddenly even more terrified than before.

But by the time they'd reached my Bone Buggy, I was already gone, Nibbles only just managing to grab onto my tail as I disappeared into the darkness of the nocturnal dig site.


	22. Tria's True Nature

I sat on a rock that rose from a shallow lake that had formed inside a large, deep chasm in Starry Falls. I sat on a lower level, hidden from the view of the upper levels of the dig site. To get to me, one would have to drive onto the top of the rock (which required being launched up a ramp, then falling down the exact spot over the ledge, which would not be easy, especially in the low light of the site's perpetual night).

I sat perched on my ledge, tears falling freely from my alien eyes. I looked down at the tough, scaly skin on my hands, the claws on my shoulders clenching hard enough to almost break through my scales. My whip-like tail thumped the ground sadly as the claws on my feet kneaded the rock, creating small gouges in it. I looked at my black claws, sharp enough to slash through a Goyle's armor, and had to exercise extreme restraint to keep from shredding my black-and-pink shorts or my black tank top with them in my anger and shame. My pointed ears twitched and my tail thrashed as I snarled, baring my razor-sharp teeth as I faced the human who dared intrude on my grief.

"Go away, Elric." I barked at the silver-haired male, "I don't need your criticism right now."

"Whatever do you mean, Tria." Elric asked, his voice as calm and gentle as ever, "I've seen your true form many times." He then looked at my tail. "Though that bite mark is new."

Nibbles whined as he licked the bite wound on my tail, a result of his desperate attempt to hang on to me when I'd fled my Digger's Rig.

"You know that's not what I mean!" I snapped, my patience not what it usually was, "I failed to stop the time gate from opening! On top of that, I insisted on bringing a child into this dangerous situation, despite knowing the risks! And to top it all off, I freaked out and fled the scene, abandoning my friends and leader in the process!" I sighed, which turned into a choked sob as I sat back down. "Some Warden I turned out to be…"

"Now, Tria." Elric said sternly, walking over and placing a hand over the claws on my shoulder, gently lifting them out of my scales. They had finally broken through, leaving them stained with blood, "You're being too hard on yourself. The electromagnetic interference rendered you immobile, you were just trying to help the kid become an experienced and effective Warden, and you couldn't have anticipated the electromagnetic waves shorting out your holographic disguise." He smiled at me. "So cheer up, okay?"

I looked up at my childhood friend, my golden eyes narrowing as my light-blue slitted pupils focused on him.

"What about the time gate? The destabilization of the space-time continuum you were so desperate to stop?" I growled, burying my face in my hands.

"We'll fix it." Elric said kindly, kneeling beside me and taking my hands in his, forcing me to look at him, "It's not the end of the world, unless you give up, Tria."

I huffed, standing up and turning away from the human male. "And what about the humans here? Even if they're willing to forgive me for my desertion and reckless actions, what makes you think they'd accept me once they find out what I truly am?"

"They're your friends. Of course they'd accept you." Elric replied, turning me around and embracing me, "After all, I accept you, don't I?"

"That's different." I muttered into his purple scarf, "You've been around creatures like me your whole life, and even you were scared of me at first." I pushed back just far enough to narrow my eyes at him. "These people don't even remember my kind exist. How would they react if they found out that one of their own comrades was one. Besides…" I looked down at the ledge where I stood. "There's still the fact that I've lied to them. I've hidden my true identity from them all this time. Why should they even trust me?" Tears began falling from my eyes again, and I fell to my knees, sobs racking my body. Elric followed me down, holding me against him again and letting me sob into his shoulder.

"It's true that they'd probably feel betrayed." he began, and I tensed, "But once you explained your reasons, I'm sure they'd understand."

I snorted, unconvinced, but then Elric reached into his pocket, pulling out a familiar device.

"Of course, that's a hurdle you'll have to face another time." he said as he put the holographic disguise device into my hands, "Right now, you need to work on stopping Dr. Blackraven and restoring stability to the space-time continuum."

I stared at the small device, then back at the male who had given it to me. Elric laughed.

"Oh, Tria! Don't look so surprised! You should know by now that I always carry spare equipment with me!"

I smiled, embracing my friend again. "Thank you, Elric! I owe you one, big time!"

Elric smiled back. "You don't owe me anything. Although, if you really want to repay me, you can do so by stopping Dr. Blackraven."

"I'm gonna do that anyway!" I declared confidently. Nibbles growled in agreement. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of revving engines and speeding Bone Buggies.

"What's going on up there?" I wondered out loud, focusing my gaze up at the edge of the cliff. Elric laughed again.

"I think your Paleo Pals have found out about your disappearance." he said, holding up a small radio that had been set to receive signals from the Bone Buggies in Starry Falls, "They're looking for you."

"All of them?" I asked incredulously, "No way."

Elric smiled at me, turning on the small radio. Immediately, several different voices began pouring from the device, all of them near panic.

"Where is she?!" the first voice I heard was Leon's. I could almost picture his wide eyes, face pale with worry. It seemed so foreign next to his usual cool, cocky expression. I could also hear Lucky's voice in the background, whimpering.

"Do you think Tria's okay, Leon?" he asked his idol fearfully. His question was answered, but not by Leon.

"Of course she's okay, Lucky." the gentle, optimistically hopeful voice of Becky answered. Even through the small radio, I could hear her concern, although her experience allowed her to hide it better than some of the others. "Tria won't go down so easily."

"That's interesting." Elric muttered to me, "Lucky doesn't sound angry with you. None of the American Wardens do, actually."

I narrowed my eyes at the silver male, his expression between a smirk and a grin. I was about to respond when another optimistic voice agreed with the American Warden.

"You got that right! Tria'd never let the BR Brigade slow her down!" declared the hyper voice of…

"Is that Dahlia?!" I exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the radio as if I would be able to see the fast-paced redhead through it.

"I didn't say that your AMERICAN Paleo Pals were looking for you." Elric replied, "I said your Paleo Pals were looking for you. ALL of them."

I just continued to stare at the radio, my eyes widening further as my other European Paleo Pal spoke up.

"I predict that we will find Tria over here!" the classic claim of Violet was heard, eliciting several groans from the others.

"That's the fifth time you've said that!" Leon yelled at her, his worry making him more impatient and aggressive than usual.

"I'll check over there! We have to search everywhere!" the panicked voice of Roland declared, and I could hear his Bone Buggy head toward a deeper part of the dig site.

"I hope she's okay." Penny whispered, sounding like she was about to cry, "If something happened to Tria, I'd…I'd…" A sniffle cut her off.

"Hey! Don't cry, Penny! It won't help us find Tria!" Dahlia told the meeker girl. That's when a more nervous voice spoke up.

"You don't think…that Tria was attacked by a rogue vivosaur, do ya?" Nate asked the group suddenly, "Her Bone Buggy wasn't functional, right? If she couldn't fight back, do you think she's…" He gulped, and I heard multiple gasps, choked sobs, and angry yells.

"DON'T say that! Don't you DARE even THINK that!" Leon roared, furious. I heard Lucky's muffled cries. "Tria would never…"

"She better not!" a familiar fiery voice interjected, "I'll never forgive Tria if she let herself get killed by a rogue vivosaur!"

"Mei Lian!" I cried in shock, "She's here too?!"

"I don't see how you're still surprised." Elric stated, "Mei Lian's gotten very attached to you, especially after the recent tournament. After she heard you were missing, she rushed here faster than the human eye could see." He laughed, "Then again, that's what happened with the others, too."

I tuned back into the conversation (or rather, the argument over whether or not I was capable of dying) as Penny spoke up.

"But Nibbles is missing, too." she said, "Do you think he followed her?"

"Hey, yeah!" Roland answered, "Nibbles came to Tria's rescue when the Gorgo attacked her! He'll protect her!"

Nibbles nodded, smiling proudly as he nuzzled my leg affectionately. I knelt beside him, stroking his head.

" _Do you accept me, buddy?_ " I asked him.

" _Of course!_ " he replied, licking my chin and jumping into my arms, " _I've been waiting to see your true form._ " He grinned at me. " _It's very pretty!_ "

I smiled, lightly flicking his head. " _Cheeky little thing, aren't you?_ " Elric laughed at our antics.

Suddenly, my ears perked up again. I growled, huddling in the shadows while clutching Nibbles close to me. Elric followed my lead, ducking into a hollow in the rock behind me. From the shadows, I watched with my heightened vision as a darkened human figure stood at the edge of the cliff, looking around the chasm as if searching for something. I couldn't see who the figure was, but the orange Turf Shredder he was standing next to was unmistakable. And so was the whirlwind that he used to leave.

"I think this hiding spot is about to be searched." I stated once Elric came back out. As if on cue, several screams echoed from the radio, followed by a highly-recognizable phrase.

"I arrive!" Hanzo's voice declared, followed by several angry shouts.

"Damn it, Hanzo! Don't startle us like that!" Leon barked.

"Where did you go? You disappeared for several minutes!" Mei Lian asked accusingly.

"I have found an unchecked area!" Hanzo stated, "There is a deep chasm in the center of the dig site. There are many caves where Tria might be, and it's dark."

"Oh right!" Leon and Becky exclaimed together, with Becky adding, "I had forgotten about that…"

"Come on! What are we waiting for?!" Dahlia yelled, already speeding toward my location.

"Why would Tria be in a cave?" Penny asked skeptically.

"What if the rogue vivosaur took her there?" Nate suggested, terrified, only to be harshly reprimanded by the others

As the Bone Buggies of all my friends gathered at the top of the cliff, I headed for the darkest part of the dig site, Nibbles still in my arms.

"Well, Elric." I said to him, "Would you like me to carry you to your Bone Buggy? I can reach that cave where it's hidden unseen."

"That would be most appreciated." Elric replied, getting on my back as we had done many times when we were kids.

As I leapt toward the white-and-lavender Speed Demon, Elric spoke into my ear, "What are you going to do, Tria? You can't keep hiding, you know."

"I wasn't planning to." I replied, landing and letting him off, "There's a Lythro in a cave at the bottom of the chasm. I can smell it. It won't attack me, not in my true form. I'll wait there."

Elric looked at me, smirking at my deviousness. "That's very like you, Tria." he laughed, "Well then, until we meet again, I must bid you adieu."

I smirked back at him, glancing up at the dust that was being raised by the spinning tires of the Bone Buggies. I leapt off of the ledge, jumping down to the cave behind the waterfall. As I snuck behind the wall of water pouring from the cliff above, I faced the Lythro that lived there. He was covered in blood-red battle scars that stood out on his white skin, a testament to his violent nature, and his red spines, blade-like horns, and even red teeth and eyes gave him an intimidating appearance. As I entered the cave, he turned to me, eyes narrowing dangerously.

" _Who are you?_ " he growled at us, stomping forward so that he loomed over us, " _How dare you just waltz into my lair uninvited?_ "

" _Well, aren't you a friendly one?_ " I replied easily, my ability to speak his tongue startling the battle-worn carnivore, " _We just need a place to stay for a short while. Is that too much to ask?_ "

Lythro narrowed his eyes further at me. " _And just what are you supposed to be? You're clearly not a vivosaur, but you're not a human, either._ "

I smiled, flashing my own sharp teeth. " _I am a dinaurian, an ancient race that came to Earth long ago._ " I told him, bowing to the larger vivosaur, " _Pleased to make your acquaintance._ "

Lythro growled again, taking a step back to get a better look at me. " _Dinaurian? The race of dinosaur-humans?_ " He looked at me skeptically. " _Why are you here?_ "

" _I told you, I need to stay here for a while._ " I replied, looking up at the large vivosaur, " _Would that be all right?_ "

Lythro glared at me, his answer clear, but before he could voice it, I spoke again.

" _Tell you what, how about a deal?_ " When Lythro tilted his head curiously, I continued, " _You enjoy fighting, don't you? So how about a battle? If you win, we leave, but if I win, we can stay._ "

Lythro looked contemplatively at me and Nibbles, who had jumped out of my arms, then grinned, flashing his blood-red teeth. " _Very well, Dinaurian. I accept your challenge. But don't say I didn't warn you!_ "

Nibbles stepped forward, preparing to transform, but I held out my arm, stopping him.

" _No, Nibbles. This fight is mine. Keep a look out for the other Wardens._ " I ordered my small companion. He looked at me, then at my opponent, then nodded, trusting me to know my own limits. I turned back to Lythro, who was grinning at me.

" _So you're gonna fight me yourself, huh? Fine, then. Let's see what you've got!_ " he roared, charging at me.

I smirked, leaping and avoiding his attack.

" _You're going to have to do better than that if you want to beat me!_ " I growled down at him, flicking my tail and jumping off the ceiling of the cavern, diving at my opponent.

" _Same goes for you, Dinaurian!_ " Lythro bellowed, swinging the blade-like horns directly at me, " _See how you like my Bladed Upper!_ "

" _Not bad._ " I replied, rolling out of the way, " _But you're too slow!_ " I then flicked my tail again, the sound resembling a whip cracking, and drove myself forward, slamming my fist into my opponent's gut and knocking the wind out of him, " _And you left yourself vulnerable!_ "

Lythro growled, cursing at me, but I could see the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, bordering on psychotic.

" _You really enjoy battling, don't you?_ " I said to him, not really a question.

" _Of course!_ " Lythro responded enthusiastically, " _There's nothing in the world more exciting than battle!_ "

" _Is that why you left your former fighter?_ " I asked him knowingly. Lythro snarled in disgust.

" _My former fighter was weak! He could never hope to bring out my true potential!_ " Lythro declared, charging once more, " _No human ever could!_ "

" _I suppose that might be true._ " I muttered, waiting for my opponent to get closer as I gathered my Neutral-type energy, " _Maybe someday I'll come back and play with you some more. But right now…_ " I opened my mouth, unleashing a blast of white fire at the large carnivore, bringing him crashing to the ground, " _I'm afraid we're out of time._ "

" _They're at the bottom of the chasm._ " Nibbles reported to me as I activated my holographic disguise once more. Nibbles snorted, and I looked at him in confusion. " _I think your true form looked better…_ "

" _You would._ " I replied, looking back at the cave entrance, hidden by the waterfall, " _Think we should go meet them?_ "

" _Might as well._ " Nibbles growled, " _They're noisy creatures._ "

I nodded, starting to walk towards the entrance, but a rumbling growl stopped me.

" _Wait…Dinaurian…_ " I turned back around to see Lythro struggling to raise his head.

" _You can't seriously still want to fight me?_ " I snarled exasperatedly, " _I told you I don't have time. My friends are waiting for me._ "

" _That's…not it…_ " the large vivosaur rumbled, " _You…battle a lot, don't you?_ "

I looked at Nibbles, who just shrugged. " _Yeah, I guess so._ " I replied.

" _Then I have a request._ " Lythro said. When I tilted my head, he continued, " _Please…add me to your team._ "

" _What?!_ " I exclaimed, my eyes going wide, " _You want to join my team?!_ "

Lythro nodded, shifting so that he was lying directly in front of me, his head level with mine. " _Yes. You are strong, and your battle technique is like nothing I've ever seen. I think you can bring out my true potential._ " He stared directly into my eyes, looking almost pleadingly at me. " _So please…take me with you!_ "

I looked at the large carnivore. He looked so sincere, behind the horns, spines, teeth, and scars. I smiled, nodding to him.

" _All right. You may join me, but you'll have to return to your Dino Gear. Giant vivosaurs can't wander around the Fossil Parks freely, ya know._ "

Lythro smiled, looking genuinely grateful, and pressed his nose to my hand. " _Thank you, Lady Dinaurian. I will not disappoint you._ "

" _My name isn't Dinaurian._ " I said as Lythro transformed into a Dino Gear, " _It's Tria. Call me Tria._ "

" _As you wish, Lady Tria._ " he replied. I laughed.

" _Close enough._ " I said in amusement, putting him in my pocket to join the other members of my team. I then looked at my arms and winced. " _Oh dear. This isn't good…_ "

" _Now what?_ " Nibbles asked me, glancing at the mouth of the cave, where the sounds of tires splashing through water could be heard.

" _My arms._ " I said, rolling up my sleeves, " _The bruises from where Olga hit me are gone. And so is the scar I got from my fight with Gorgo._ "

" _They're gone?_ " Nibbles asked, looking at my arms. Sure enough, the skin there was unscathed.

" _Yeah…_ " I muttered, " _These holographic disguises are designed to make me as human as possible, including what it takes to injure me and the pain I can feel._ " I looked at my non-functional disguise. " _Because I was injured in this disguise, it remembers the wounds and displays them accordingly. But since those injuries would've healed in a few days in my true form, this disguise doesn't acknowledge them._ "

Nibbles titled his head as I sighed, " _This won't do one bit. Oh well…_ "

" _What are you doing, Tria?_ " Nibbles asked, following me as I walked to the back of the cave.

" _What else?_ _I can't explain how the bruises and scar disappeared, so that only leaves me with one option…_ "

" _Tria! You can't mean…!_ " Nibbles began as I temporarily released the claws on my hands.

I just smiled, raising my right hand to the elbow of my left arm, exactly where the scar once was. Once there, I yanked my claws downward, tearing the fragile human skin. Nibbles whimpered as I slammed both of my arms into one of the cave's rocks. I then thought for a moment before placing my left-hand claws at the side of my right wrist and making a smaller gash there. I examined my handiwork, then turned to look at Nibbles' wide, terrified eyes. I managed a pained smile.

" _Don't worry, Nibbles. I'll be fine. The scratches are nothing to me. Besides…_ " I said gently as I approached the waterfall, " _This'll give my friends a useful hint._ "

I washed the blood off of my hands, human once more, and arms, cooling the rapidly-blackening bruises before heading to the back of the cave. There, I turned on the radio Elric had left with me.

"She's not up here!" I heard Roland report, likely referring to the caves that lined the path leading into and out of the chasm.

"Not over here, either!" Dahlia called in as well.

"Of course she's not up there!" Mei Lian yelled angrily, "What would Tria be doing on that ledge?!"

"So they found my ledge." I thought as I waited.

"Can it! Both of you!" Leon barked at the quarreling, "We have to look everywhere! We have to find Tria!" I heard a Bone Buggy pass by my waterfall. I sighed, preparing for a wait, before another voice was heard through the radio.

"Leon! Look!" Lucky's voice cried. Outside, I heard a Bone Buggy stop. "That water has red in it! The red is coming from the waterfall!"

I heard several gasps, and several more Bone Buggies gathered in front of the waterfall. I smiled. "Thank you, Lucky."

"Hey, you're right! Good eye, Lucky!" Becky praised the young boy.

"You don't think…?" Penny whimpered fearfully.

"I've never seen a vivosaur bleed before…" Violet mumbled, her voice shaking.

"I knew it!" Nate cried, bawling, "Tria was killed by a rogue vivosaur!"

"Shut up!" Dahlia yelled, "We don't even know this blood is Tria's!"

"And even if it is, that doesn't mean she's dead!" Mei Lian added fiercely.

"Enough!" Leon snapped, "There's a cave behind it! I'm going in! My Turf Shredder can get through this waterfall, no problem!"

I turned off the radio and ducked behind the rocks, in case Leon came in too quickly. Seconds later, Leon's purple Turf Shredder burst through the waterfall. Immediately, both doors opened and Leon and Lucky stuck their heads out of the Bone Buggy, calling my name.

"Tria!" Leon yelled, sounding desperate.

"Tria!" Lucky cried, tears running down his face. How he'd noticed my blood while crying, I'll never know.

"Took you long enough…" I called weakly, blood loss already taking its toll. Leon and Lucky looked around, as if not sure if they'd actually heard me. Once Leon caught sight of me staggering out from behind the rocks, however, his face broke out into the biggest grin I'd ever seen on him.

"Tria!" he cried, jumping down from his Turf Shredder and rushing to me, "You're alive! Thank goodness! We were so worried! Where did you go?!"

I sighed tiredly, collapsing to my knees just in time for Leon to catch me. From the Bone Buggy, I heard urgent voices over the radio.

"Leon! What's wrong? Leon!" I heard Becky yelling over Penny's question of "Is Tria there?"

"She's here! Tria's here!" Lucky yelled, still crying, "She's hurt, though!"

"Tell them to go get help!" Leon ordered the younger male. As Lucky relayed his orders, Leon look out a cloth from his first-aid kit, just as I had done when he had been beaten up by the thugs when Lucky was kidnapped, using it to try to stem the blood flow from the gash on my left arm. "Tria, you idiot. Why did you run off like that?"

I looked at Leon guiltily, lowering my head and closing my eyes.

"What are you talking about, Leon?" Lucky asked as he ran up to us, "Tria was attacked by a rogue vivosaur." He looked at me. "Right, Tria?"

I looked back up, this time at Lucky. I raised my hand toward him, letting him grab it before it could fall back to my side. "I'm sorry…Lucky. It's…all my fault…"

Lucky gave me a confused look, tilting his head as he held my hand, not seeming to notice the blood from my wrist staining his fingers. "Sorry? For what? For getting attacked by a rogue vivosaur?"

I shook my head, laughing tiredly. "No. I'm sorry for putting you in danger. I knew the BR Brigade might be here, but I insisted on letting you tag along anyway. You almost got seriously hurt because of me, and I was too ashamed to face you because of it." I sighed, for once leaning away from Leon as I placed my hands on the cave floor. "I'm sorry I deserted you and Leon, and I'm sorry that I brought you into a dangerous situation where I couldn't protect you." I looked away, standing up shakily. Nibbles pressed himself against my legs, as if attempt to support me. "Do you…think you could ever forgive me?"

Lucky stared at me with wide eyes, tears flowing down his cheek once again.

"This kid cries too much." I thought to myself. I was soon snapped out of my thoughts when Lucky pounced on me, locking his arms around my waist as he buried his head in my stomach.

"Tria! It's not your fault! I wanted to come on this mission! I knew it would be dangerous, but I didn't care! I just wanted to help you and Leon!" Lucky rambled into my shirt. He looked up at me, grip tightening around me as he snuggled closer. "I wasn't mad at you…I don't blame you. I just…" he whimpered, looking down at my bloody arms, "Got a little scared, that's all…"

"We don't blame you for anything, Tria." Leon mumbled in my ear, embracing me from behind, "We were just scared that something bad happened to you, that's all. I mean, I've never heard you scream before, and then you disappeared…"

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"Hey, enough of that." Leon chastised me. He then looked at my bruised, bloody arms in sudden confusion. "By the way, if it wasn't a rogue vivosaur, what did cause those injuries?"

"Injuries?" I asked, feigning confusion. I then looked down at my arms, as if only just now noticing them. "Hey, look at that. I'm bleeding. Must've scratched myself or something…"

"You mean you didn't NOTICE you were injured?!" Leon exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief. Lucky stared at me, looking like he couldn't decide whether to be incredulous or in awe.

"Guess not…" I muttered, leaning back against Leon, "Now that you mention it, though, I'm kinda tired. Think you can get me outta here?"

"Of course!" Leon answered immediately, picking me up bridal-style, just as he had only a day before. As he headed back to his Turf Shredder, I glanced up, toward the top of the cliff.

"Sounds like the help has arrived." I muttered as I was set down in Lucky's seat, Lucky himself sitting in Leon's lap. Nibbles settled himself next to me. "Take us to the top of the cliff. There's more light up there."

"You got it." Leon confirmed, driving back through the waterfall.

I smiled, greeting my friends and reassuring them, first through the radio and then in person as my wounds were treated. I smiled at all of my friends, accepting the multitudes of scoldings that I got gratefully. Still, even surrounded by the people closest to me, one thought kept reappearing, no matter how many times I pushed it back to the darkest corners of my mind.

"They wouldn't still care about you, if they knew what you really are."


	23. Search for the Cosmonium

After my injuries were treated, I headed back to Fossil Parks Asia. My friends tried to make me rest longer, but I didn't yield this time. I knew there was a meeting going on between the Captain and the leaders, and as the Captain's emissary, I should also be there. The others eventually relented to my argument, although the Asian Wardens surrounded me, forming a wall to protect me. It wasn't really necessary; even though my holographic disguise registers pain and injuries as if I were human, my strength, speed, stamina, and even my senses remain that of a dinaurian. Still, I appreciated the support and the reminder that, at least for now, I wasn't alone.

Once we reached the elevator that led to the Captain's office, I bid farewell to my companions, promising that I would take things easy while I recovered. Once they left, I called Stryker to let him know I was back. He formally called me to join the meeting, so I headed up to his office. Once there, I was faced with the three leaders of the Fossil Parks. Captain Stryker sat at his desk with his arms crossed.

"Good afternoon, Tria." Stryker greeted me, "I'm glad to see you back here unharmed."

"For the most part." I replied, flexing my bandaged arms briefly before smiling, "Thank you, sir. I apologize for causing so much trouble."

Stryker waved off my apology, motioning me forward as he began the meeting (which had apparently been waiting for me).

"Well, we did everything we could." he began, "However, Dr. Baron von Blackraven managed to escape to the ancient past. He's going to enslave the mind of every single dinosaur in existence. And we know what that means for us…All vivosaurs in this time will also serve him!"

"Duuuude…" Sean groaned, "You mean EVERY vivosaur? Like, even mine?"

"We must act, and quickly." Liu Ren stated, his face and tone grim, "But if he's back there and we're here…" He trailed off.

"…Hold me." Drake whimpered.

"We do have one chance to stop his plans." Stryker said, looking around at us before his gaze settled on me.

I nodded, placing a soothing hand on the trembling viking's arm as I answered Stryker's implied question, "We have to follow Blackraven into the past."

"Is that even possible?" Liu Ren exclaimed in surprise.

Stryker nodded. "Dr. Blackraven left the time travel formula on the walls of his cell. If he used it to open a time gate, there's no reason we can't. Professor Little is working out the details as we speak. I trust he will have something shortly."

Everyone smiled, seeming reassured.

"Like, whew." Sean sighed, "Good thing we've got total smarties working for us. Just thinking about this kind of stuff makes my brain hurt."

Stryker ignored Sean's comment. "We've already secured the necessary Mega Electrominite." he said, looking between the three leaders. "Liu Ren? Sean? Drake? You and your teams will each be tasked with finding Cosmonium."

The leaders all glanced at each other. "Um, but isn't that…you know…hard?" Drake asked nervously.

"Not with my Cosmonium Detector, it's not!" the childish voice of Professor Little answered the European leader. Said leader almost jumped, startled by the boy's sudden appearance. We all turned to look at the young scientist, who approached the group carrying three sonar-like devices. "Sorry to barge in like this. This is my newest invention. However, it won't detect Cosmonium unless you get extremely close."

"There are detectors for each of you." Stryker said as Little handed the detectors to the three leaders, "This won't be easy, but I know all of you can do it!"

"Of course, Captain."

"You got it, boss!"

"Y-Yeah…"

Once Liu Ren, Sean, Drake, and Professor Little had all left, Stryker turned his full attention to me.

"That leaves you, Tria." he said, remaining seated as he faced me, "There are a few things I want to discuss with you."

"Yes sir." I replied, my voice neutral. I had known this was coming.

"You've been acting quite reckless lately." Stryker said, resting his elbows on his desk and interlacing his fingers, "Can you explain your actions?"

"Which ones, sir?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, why you decided to bring an American civilian with you when you were investigating the time warble in Starry Falls." the Captain asked me, arching his eyebrows.

"Lucky is one of my Paleo Pals, and he is aspiring to be a Warden when he gets older." I replied evenly, "I thought this mission would provide him with useful experience. And since Leon and I were there, I thought we could guide and protect him. I also thought that having someone else with us would get Leon used to working with others, which is something he still has problems with."

Stryker listened to me intently, and when I finished my explanation, he nodded. "I see. I can't say I approve of your reckless actions, but it would seem that your intentions were in the right place, so I'll let it slide this time."

I lowered my head in gratitude, allowing a small smile. I could tell the Captain wasn't finished, though.

"There was something else that I was wondering." he said, looking at me, "From the report I got from Becky, you weren't attacked by a rogue vivosaur at Starry Falls, so what did happen? Why did you disappear?"

I looked down at the floor, shame coloring my voice. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid I can't tell you what came over me. All I can tell you is that I had a feeling of intense fear, and then all I could think about was the need to escape."

"Escape?" Stryker asked me in confusion, "From what?"

I just shook my head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that either."

Stryker tilted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hm…Interesting. And what about your injuries? How did you get them?"

I glanced at my arms, running my fingers along the bandages. "Well, the bruises are from an incident in Europe, as for my reopened scar and the cut on my wrist, I must have gotten them at some point during my flight."

"Perhaps. Not that it really matters." Stryker muttered, "I did have one last thing to ask you about."

"Sir?"

"After the tournament here in Fossil Park Asia, Liu Ren reported to me fascinating ability of yours." Stryker said, looking at me as if he were analyzing my reaction, "He told me that he and Mei Lian were merely posing as your teammates, and that the entire team was being controlled by you, and you alone." The Captain then leaned back, awaiting my response.

"That's correct, sir. I am capable of controlling an entire team of vivosaurs myself. Although I'm afraid I'm not permitted to tell you where I learned the skill." I confirmed, keeping myself professional.

"That's what Liu Ren told me as well." Stryker replied, crossing his arms, "I'm not sure I really like this secrecy, but…" He stared at me, locking our gazes. "You are the most promising Warden we've ever seen, and you haven't shown any sign of betrayal, so I will accept it, at least for now."

"Thank you, sir." I said confidently, smiling and bowing to my superior.

Stryker nodded. "As for your next assignment, I need you to visit all of the Fossil Park branches and give the leaders whatever help they require. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" I said in affirmation. As I turned to leave, Stryker spoke up again.

"Good luck!" he said, "And be careful. I know you're still hurt."

"Of course, sir." I said, heading into the elevator, Nibbles trailing along behind me as I headed out for my next mission as a Warden.


	24. Treasure of the Earth Dragon

When I stepped out of the elevator, thinking about where I should go first, I was surprised to find Liu Ren standing in the lobby, as if waiting for someone. As soon as he spotted me, he waved me over.

"Excellent timing, Tria." he said in greeting, "I'd like you to join me for a bit."

"Sure thing." I replied, "What for?"

"I need your help with something over in Lantern Lake. I'll explain on the way." Liu Ren told me, leading me toward the Garage. Before we could get far, however, an excited voice stopped us.

"Hey! Tria! Wait up!" I looked to see Mei Lian bounding over to us, practically skidding to a stop next to me.

"What are you doing here, Mei Lian?" Liu Ren asked, sounding slightly annoyed at the delay.

"I'm coming with you!" the girl declared, "Tria's still hurt, so I'm staying nearby in case she needs help."

"I can take care of Tria." Liu Ren muttered, more to himself, "But I suppose it is safer with two of us. Very well. Let's go."

"All right!" Mei Lian cheered happily, grabbing my hand as she dragged me after Liu Ren. I couldn't help but smile at my Paleo Pal's energetic nature. I had remembered just how frantic she was when I was found after my little escapade in Starry Falls. The Asian leader shook his head at the younger girl's antics, but he was smiling.

As we drove down the wooden path of Lantern Lake, Liu Ren addressed us.

"As you two may know, there is a waterfall in this dig site." he began, looking at us for confirmation.

"Yeah! The one at the base of the mountain where Tria and I had our first battle!" Mei Lian answered.

"Correct." Liu Ren nodded, before asking, "But have you ever wondered what's behind it?"

Mei Lian and I glanced at each other curiously. "I wasn't aware there was anything behind it." I admitted.

Liu Ren smiled as we drove through the waterfall, revealing a stone wall behind it. "There is." he said, "I brought you two here for a reason. This is actually a secret entrance."

"Woah! Really?!" Mei Lian exclaimed excitedly.

"To what?" I asked, now really curious.

"Heh." Liu Ren chuckled at our reactions, "Hold on and I'll explain. But first, why not take a look for yourself?" He then took a deep breath and yelled, "Open sesame!"

Mei Lian and I looked at the door expectantly. Nothing happened. We looked back at Liu Ren in confusion as he glared at the door.

"OPEN SESAME!" he yelled louder. Again, nothing happened. Liu Ren tilted his head thoughtfully as he looked at the door. His face then brightened in realization as he yelled again, "Oh, that's right…OPEN PARSLEY!"

As soon as he said that, the stone door opened, revealing a hidden cave.

"Woah!" Mei Lian and I cried together. Liu Ren smiled.

"Righty-o, then. Let's go." he said, leading us into the cave.

The cave wasn't that large, but there was enough room for our three Bone Buggies. There were fossils in the walls, and there was some water around the cave, forming a small moat around the center of the cave. And in the center of the cave was a statue of a dragon.

"Woooow…" I muttered as we drove up to the dragon.

"Grrr!" Nibbles growled, feeling the same thing I felt.

"Cool!" Mei Lian exclaimed, "What is it?"

"Heh heh. Impressive, isn't it?" Liu Ren laughed at my and Nibbles' reaction, sounding proud, before answering Mei Lian's question, "This is a statue of an Earth Dragon. Now, look closely, you two. See how the jewel in its claw glitters?"

Mei Lian and I examined the orb in the dragon's claw. Sure enough, it gleamed a bright neon green that caught the eye. It looked familiar…

"Isn't that…?" I began.

"It looks just like the trophies those BR Boneheads stole!" Mei Lian cried, her rage building at the memory of the incident with Kowloon.

"We should check it with the Cosmonium Detector…" Liu Ren said, taking out the device Professor Little had given him. Seconds later, a beeping sound was heard. "Just as I thought! That's the Cosmonium we've been searching for!"

"Awesome!" Mei Lian yelled happily, "So let's grab it and take it back to HQ!"

"Well…" Liu Ren muttered, "There's one little problem…"

"What?" Mei Lian growled, annoyed, "We found the Cosmonium, so why can't we take it?"

"Well, you see…" Liu Ren tried to explain. I interjected, already knowing the problem.

"The Earth Dragon isn't just a statue." I stated, gaining the attention of the two Asian Wardens, "It's alive."

"Very perceptive, Tria." Liu Ren praised me, clearly impressed, "Powerful magic was used to make that statue, and that's given it a soul of its very own."

"What?!" Mei Lian cried, this time in shock and irritation, "Then how the hell are we supposed to get the jewel? We still need it!"

"I've been researching this for some time." Liu Ren replied, although the way he said 'researching' implied that he wasn't using conventional research methods, "And I think we should be able to take the jewel as long as we replace it."

"All right! So let's grab-" Mei Lian began, but Liu Ren interrupted her.

"HOWEVER…" he said loudly, cutting the girl off, "There's also a chance the Earth Dragon will awaken filled with furious rage. Which would be bad. If that happens, we'll have no choice but to subdue it." He looked at the two of us. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." I stated.

"Yeah, yeah…" Mei Lian muttered, not happy that she was interrupted.

"Excellent." the leader said. He then drove up to the statue and took the green jewel from the dragon's claw, replacing it with a fiery red-orange one. He then drove back and spoke again.

"While we wait to see if this works, let me tell you a bit about the statue. Long ago, sometime after the uprising that banned the skill of fighting with vivosaur teams, this continent was plagued by war and existed in a state of total chaos. Weary of such things, a powerful sage used his magic to make this Earth Dragon. I suppose you could call him this land's guardian." Liu Ren sighed as he spoke fondly of the dragon. "That jewel he was holding had been found at the bottom of a deep lake. Legend says it was polished day and night for a year before being placed in the statue's claw. To think was are only now learning of its true nature…and to think that we may even now be too late…"

"You're scaring me…" I mumbled. Nibbles shivered.

"Stop saying things like that, Liu Ren! It's creepy!" Mei Lian scolded the older Warden.

"Hm?" said Warden hummed, as if just waking up from a daze, "Oh, sorry. I suppose that did sound a bit ominous. I just meant that…um…" He trailed off as the ground began to shake.

"What's going on?!" Mei Lian cried.

"I don't know!" I yelled back, looking at Liu Ren. I could feel an angry aura coming from the dragon.

"Ah. Well then, it seems our friend doesn't like his new prize." Liu Ren stated matter-of-factly as the statue started glowing.

The Earth Dragon's true form was a massive, serpent-like Eastern dragon. He had a dark brown stomach and lower jaw, with the upper part of his body a flowing mixture of grass and forest green. His teeth were dark gray, and the inside of his mouth was blue. His claws were golden, as were the four spines at the tip of his tail. His dark blue eyes narrowed as he roared at us, his rage shaking the entire dig site.

"Let's put him back to sleep!" Liu Ren commanded us, sending out his most trusted partner, Tarbo.

"All right! It's time to kick some dragon butt!" Mei Lian yelled eagerly as she sent out her V-raptor.

I looked at the Earth Dragon, not speaking as I sent out my Stego. I knew he was watching me.

"V-raptor! Lunging Claw!" Mei Lian commanded. V-raptor screeched, leaping forward and striking the dragon with his claws. The Earth Dragon shook off the attack like it was nothing, sending the small vivosaur flying with a flick of his tail.

"Careful, Mei Lian! The Earth Dragon is not to be underestimated!" Liu Ren called in warning before giving out his own command, "Tarbo! Deadly Fangs!"

The larger carnivore bellowed, drawing the Earth Dragon's attention away from V-raptor as he sunk his massive teeth into the serpentine body. His battle experience showed itself as he locked his jaws right behind the dragon's head, preventing the dragon from biting him back. However, he did underestimate the dragon's strength, and was consequently thrown into the air, landing heavily on the cave floor next to V-raptor.

The Earth Dragon slithered toward the two carnivores with the intent to finish them off, but Stego ran forward, placing herself in between her comrades and their opponent. The Earth Dragon narrowed his eyes, roaring at the calm, steady herbivore. She just roared back, thumping her spiked tail on the ground.

"Stego! Panic Spike!" I ordered her, my voice as fiercely calm as my vivosaur's demeanor.

Stego glared at the massive Earth Dragon, marching up to the ancient guardian proudly and, without missing a beat, spun, slamming her spines into the dragon's face and sending him to the ground as he shook his head, trying to shake off the confusion Stego's attack caused.

"Good work, Tria!" Liu Ren praised me, "Now's our chance! Mei Lian!"

"Already on it!" she yelled back, "V-raptor, Raptor Shot!"

V-raptor screeched, still enraged at being thrown earlier, and fired a burst of greenish-white light at the Earth Dragon.

"Tarbo, Thunderous Roar!" Liu Ren called.

Tarbo growled, standing up and roaring, the blast of energy catching V-raptor's attack as it went. I smiled.

"Stego! Blade Barrage!"

Stego grinned, firing the blades of wind into the air. They soared over Tarbo and V-raptor combined attack, raining down on the Earth Dragon's back and pinning him so he couldn't block the other attack, which struck him head-on. As the smoke cleared, the Earth Dragon lay on the cave floor, battered by the joint-assault.

"Yes! Mei Lian reigns supreme!" Mei Lian cheered.

"Please forgive us, Earth Dragon…" Liu Ren said solemnly. A shocked look then crossed his face as he realized something. "Mei Lian! Get back! The Earth Dragon hasn't been defeated yet!"

The Earth Dragon, annoyed that his ploy had failed, snarled viciously, raising himself off the ground and towering over us once more.

"O mighty and wise Earth Dragon! Please accept this new jewel!" Liu Ren begged the enraged dragon, "We give it to you in hopes that your old prize will aid us in creating a better world!"

The Earth Dragon roared again, not listening to the Asian leader's words. He slammed his tail into the ground and walls, creating a large dust cloud that cut us off from each other.

"Hey! What the hell?! I can't see!" Mei Lian cried in frustration.

"He must be planning to pick us off one by one!" Liu Ren yelled in sudden horror, "Mei Lian! Tria! Get out of the cave, now!"

"Yes sir!" we both yelled in affirmation, heading for the exit. However, before I could make it far, I found my path blocked by the face of the Earth Dragon. He glared at me, a look of expectation on his features as he snarled.

"Tria! Tria, where are you?" I heard Liu Ren call me. I looked at his and Mei Lian's worried expressions on my screen, then back up at the Earth Dragon, who had yet to attack me, but was instead waiting impatiently. I spoke back to my companions.

"Still in the cave. I'm fine; the Earth Dragon isn't attacking me." I told them, "Just give me a minute." I then turned off my transmission and got out of my Digger's Rig, sitting on top of it as I faced the Earth Dragon. Nibbles sat beside me as Stego stood next to my Digger's Rig. The Earth Dragon growled again.

" **You are not of this world.** " he said, narrowing his eyes at me.

" _Perhaps not, but I am committed to protecting it._ " I growled back, my voice even, " _Possibly even more so than you are._ "

" **How dare you?!** " the Earth Dragon roared, furious at that insult.

" _How dare YOU?!_ " Stego snapped back in my defense, " _Lady Tria is willing to give her life to protect this land, but you aren't willing to give up your precious jewel, even though you were given a replacement!_ "

The Earth Dragon snarled at her, then was startled when Nibbles added his voice.

" _There's a mad man in the ancient past that's trying to control all vivosaurs by brain washing the dinosaurs they come from!_ " he barked at the dragon, " _We need an element from your jewel to stop him! Is that really too much to ask?!_ "

" **Silence, little one!** " the Earth Dragon bellowed, " **You think you can challenge me?!** "

" _Damn right I can!_ " he roared back, jumping off of my Digger's Rig and transforming. He roared again, swinging his horn at the dragon, " _It is you who has no right to challenge us! Your greed will doom the world!_ "

The Earth Dragon reared his head back, preparing to lunge, but I leapt up and, temporarily deactivating my holographic disguise, landed on the Earth Dragon's nose.

" _That's enough! All of you!_ " I roared, silencing all of the others in the cave, " _This is all a simple miscommunication! Calm down!_ " Once my vivosaurs had backed down, I turned my focus to the Earth Dragon. " _I understand that we interrupted your slumber and stole your precious jewel, which was very rude of us. I also know that dragons are naturally possessive of their treasures, especially ones they've had as long as you've had your jewel, and I can also tell that you were given an exceptionally jealous soul._ " I placed a hand on his head. " _I apologize for the insensitivity we've shown you, but I will tell you that what Asian leader Liu Ren said is true. The world is in danger, and your jewel holds the key to protecting it._ " I jumped back and landed on my Digger's Rig again, kneeling as I bowed to the ancient dragon. " _Please, at least for now, lend us your jewel. We will return it to you once the needed element is extracted._ "

The Earth Dragon looked at me skeptically, then toward the exit, then sighed and nodded.

" **Very well. I will entrust my precious jewel to you, for now. Use it to protect the world from evil!** " he commanded before returning to his stone slumber.

I smiled. "Thank you, Earth Dragon." I then crawled back into my Digger's Rig, reactivating my holographic disguise before turning my transmission back on and reporting, "All clear!"

"Tria!" Mei Lian cried, driving her Speed Demon around my Digger's Rig, as if searching it for damage, "Are you crazy?! Taking on that thing all by yourself?!"

"I wasn't fighting him." I replied calmly, "I was explaining the situation to him."

"I'll admit, Tria, that I'm most impressed." Liu Ren said as he drove up to the statue, "I thought his anger would never be quelled."

"He does have a rather jealous nature." I agreed, "But I think he understands now."

"He better!" Mei Lian, "Or he'll have to face me and V-raptor!" V-raptor screeched in agreement.

"Careful, Mei Lian." I warned her, smiling in amusement, "He might just take you upon that offer."

Liu Ren chuckled. "Well, it looks like we're okay. The Earth Dragon seems content with his new jewel. Hopefully he'll continue protecting this continent as he has done for so long." Liu Ren looked at us. "Come on, let's go back."

"All right." I said, tuning out Mei Lian's rambling about how she wanted another go at the Earth Dragon. Her V-raptor even refused to return to his Dino Gear until he was nearly crushed by Tarbo's jaws. I felt Stego's tired sigh from her Dino Gear, and Nibbles, once again in his smaller form, shook his head.

Once we returned to Liu Ren's office, the leader set the green jewel on his desk and turned to face us.

"I'll give this Cosmonium to Professor Little. Thank you two for all your help." he said.

"No problem." I said, smiling. Mei Lian huffed, still sulking. I placed an arm around the girl's shoulders, gently shaking her out of her depression.

"Also," Liu Ren added, catching our attention, "Since you both now know how to open the secret door, feel free to dig there whenever you like."

"Sweet! Thanks, Liu Ren!" I said happily, glancing at Mei Lian to see that she'd perked up.

"Really? We can dig in the cave? Awesome!" she yelled, rushing out the door and into the elevator.

"Mei Lian! Don't go picking fights with the Earth Dragon!" I called after her, but she didn't hear me. I made to follow her, but Liu Ren's voice stopped me.

"Tria, wait. I need one more thing from you…" he said, sounding almost…nervous. I turned back to face him.

"Yes, Liu Ren?" I asked.

Liu Ren stepped forward so that he was right in front of me. He then took a battle stance. "Be my Paleo Pal!" he said, the request practically a command. He then returned to a normal pose. "That's all."

My eyes were wide as saucers. The Asian leader arched an eyebrow, my reaction making him nervous. I got the impression he didn't ask that question often.

"R-Really?" I asked, pointing to myself, "Y-You want me…to be your Paleo Pal?"

"That is correct." the Asian leader said, "Is that troubling for you?"

"Troubling?" I gasped, shaking my head, "Of course not! Sir- I mean, Liu Ren, I'm honored. Truly." I bowed, regaining my composure. "Thank you, Liu Ren. I am honored to be your Paleo Pal."

"Excellent." Liu Ren said, at ease now, "I hope we can work together again soon. Now go, your next assignment awaits."

"Of course!" I said, heading for the elevator. It wasn't until I got to the lobby that I realized Liu Ren had registered us as Paleo Pals without me noticing, just as Hanzo did. Well, now I know who he learned it from. My mission in Asia was complete, so I headed to the next park that needed my help: America.


	25. The Lost Rival

I headed to Sean's office as soon as I entered Fossil Park America. I knew there wouldn't be anyone to greet me, not when they were as busy as they were. In fact, I was surprised to find Sean in his office, although he looked like he was getting ready to leave when I'd arrived. He smiled when he saw me.

"Greets!" he said in a typical American greeting, "You here to help us find Cosmonium?"

"Yep!" I replied, "Whatever I can do to help!"

"Sweeet." he almost hummed, nodding, "We've been searching, like, high and low, you know? But it must be bad juju or somethin', 'cause we keep comin' up empty. That's why we need all the help we can get. Heck, as soon as we're done talking, I'm gonna head back out there and keep bailin' that dirt." He then flashed me one of his blinding smiles as he said, "A leader's work is, like, never done, am I right?"

"Indeed." I agreed with him, "I think I'll do the same."

"Right on! Just, like, let me know if you find anything!" he told me as I entered the elevator.

Once outside, I turned to Nibbles.

"All right, buddy. Where do you think we should look first?" I asked him. Nibbles snorted, shrugging his shoulders.

I sighed, preparing to head into one of the dig sites. However, I was stopped by an excited psychic boy.

"Hey! It's Tria!" he yelled as he ran up to me, "You are seriously lucky to have come here today of all days!"

"Is that so, Lucky?" I asked, emphasizing the adjective he'd used to describe me. He didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah! And you're about to find out why! Come on, follow me!" he declared, reaching for my arm. He then stopped short, remembering the injuries I got in Starry Falls. I smiled, taking his hand.

"Lead the way, Lucky." I said, earning a grin from the smaller boy.

He led me into the Fossil Stadium, where there was a crowd of people gathered in the center of the lobby. Or, more specifically, they were gathered around a large man in…a triceratops mask?

"He's here! He's really here!" one of the guys in the crowd yelled.

"I can't believe it! Someone pinch me!" another squealed, sounding like he was about to faint. As I approached the group, I heard a loud laugh.

"Gya ha ha ha ha! Good to see you, friends! Come! Step closer! Don't be shy! Dino Gigante has more than enough muscle to go around! Gya ha ha ha!" a deep Hispanic voice was heard from behind the triceratops mask. He was muscular, with dark tan skin and long blond hair. He wore a black shirt that hugged his body, showing off his muscles. I couldn't see any more than that through the crowd.

"See? Isn't this GREAT?!" Lucky cried, bouncing up and down like a hyper little fanboy, "Dino Gigante is the undisputed king of masked Fossil Fighters! He's maybe the most famous guy in the whole WORLD!" He then let out a high-pitched squealed, shaking with excitement. "I'm so excited! I think my nose is gonna start bleeding!"

Meanwhile, the other fans were starting a chant.

"All right, Dino buddies…LEMME HEAR IT!" one guy yelled, and the others chorused back, "Dino is the best! Better than the rest!"

Lucky ran up to the crowd, adding his voice to the chant. I sighed.

"So this is the next Saurhead." I growled low to myself, "I had hoped the humans might eventually evolve out of this blind admiration for celebrities…" Nibbles snorted in agreement, before his eyes widened and he charged into the group.

"Oh come on, Nibbles. Not you too." I groaned, pushing through the crowd to find my companion appearing to face off against the large masked fighter.

"Grrr? Grr!" he growled, attempting to snap at the Fighter. Or, more precisely, attempting to snap at his belt buckle. I looked at the buckle and did a double take.

"Oh my gosh!" I cried, startled by the familiar bright neon green buckle. There was no mistaking what it was made of.

"Gya ha ha! Hello there, little fella! You seem pretty lively!" Dino Gigante laughed as he looked at Nibbles, unfazed by his attacks. He then noticed that I was staring at the buckle. "What's up, amiga? You seem interested in my championship belt."

I shook off my surprise at finding the Cosmonium so easily, facing the man and stating seriously, "I'm sorry, but I'm gonna need to take that belt."

The group of fans gasped, then fell into a stunned silence. Dino Gigante stared at me, probably wide eyed, before he burst out laughing.

"Gya ha ha ha! You're not the first fighter that's wanted to take this belt from me." he told me, his tone showing no signs of ill will.

"At least that's a nice change from Saurhead." I thought, "The fans, on the other hand…"

"Dino Gigante treasures that belt above all things!"

"How dare she just demand it like that!"

"I bet that loser's gonna get pile-driven back to the Stone Age!"

"Never change…" I sighed.

"Gya ha ha ha ha!" Dino Gigante laughed again, clearly not taking my 'challenge' as personally as his fans were, "Dino Gigante admires your spunk! But he can't simply hand over his belt, for it represents his greatest triumph!" He beat his fist against his chest, continuing to explain, "Dino Gigante claimed it from the defeated form of his greatest Fossil Fighter adversary…The Flying Smile Kid!"

"The Flying Smile Kid?" I thought exasperatedly as he continued.

"I'm taking care of this belt until the day when the Flying Smile Kid demands a rematch. So I fear this belt must remain on my person at all times! Gya ha ha!" he explained, laughing before shaking his head, "Anyway, that's why you can't have it. No way, no how. Now…" He tilted his head, and I picked up the challenging tone that had entered his voice. "If you managed to bring the Flying Smile Kid back here…Well then, Dino Gigante might reconsider! Gya ha ha ha ha!"

"You laugh too much." I mentally snarled as I practically stalked out of the Stadium, "You may have a kinder personality than Saurhead, but other than that, you're just the same as he was."

"Tria!" I heard Lucky call me. When I looked at him, he had tears in his eyes. "I can't believe you just came out and demanded his belt like that! What were you thinking?!"

"That saving the world is more important than a celebrity's status." I growled at the boy, making him recoil, "That belt's buckle is made from Cosmonium, which we need to go back in time and stop Blackraven." I glared at the boy. "Or are celebrities really more important than the fate of the world?"

Lucky backed away, shaking his head. "N-No…but…" He clenched his fists, glaring back at me.

"Dino Gigante will never part with that belt! Never, I say! It's a reminder of his epic battle with the Flying Smile Kid!"

"And who the hell is that?" I growled, really starting to lose my patience.

"Waaaait a second…You don't know who the Flying Smile Kid is?" Lucky cried, tears in his eyes again, "He's the king of aerial combat! The grinning prince of the fossil fighting universe! He used to be in the same masked-fighter league as Dino Gigante! So naturally he was a hero and idol to pretty much everyone." He glared at me in disapproval. "Three years ago, the Caliosteo Fossil Park held an epic battle between all the masked fighters of the world. Dino Gigante and the Flying Smile Kid battled for days on end without pause! But in the end, Dino Gigante emerged victorious, and the Flying Smile Kid drifted off, never to be heard from again! That's how Dino Gigante got his belt. The Flying Smile Kid was always his greatest rival, so it's no surprise he wants to fight him again. He's always talking about it in interviews and stuff…"

"Fun…" I mumbled, "So I have to find this elusive masked fighter just to get a damn belt…"

Lucky's eyes then widened. "Why am I even standing around here talking to you when I could be getting Dino Gigante's autograph?! I'm outta here!"

"Yeah, you do that." I said as he ran back into the Fossil Stadium, although he stopped briefly and tensed when he heard my next words.

"Some Paleo Pal you turned out to be."

That said, I turned on my heel, marching back to Sean's office with Nibbles at my heels.

" _Don't ya think you were a little hard on him?_ " the little vivosaur asked.

"Since when have you started caring about the feelings of humans?" I barked back at him. Nibbles stopped in his tracks. I had never snapped at him like that. He then narrowed his eyes and bit down on my arm, growling at me.

"What's your problem?" I snarled, not even cringing as the small vivosaur's teeth dug into the skin of my arm.

" _You are._ " he growled back, " _I don't know what you have against those noisy humans, and I can't blame you for losing patience with them, but how are you going to face the head human here like this?_ "

I looked at my vivosaur partner, eyes golden with rage, but then I sighed, taking a few deep breaths as I kneeled in front of the little vivosaur, who had let go of my arm.

"You're right." I said, hugging Nibbles close to me, "Thanks, Nibbles. I needed that."

Nibbles purred, glad that I was back to my normal self. As we entered the elevator, he asked me, " _Why do you hate those noisy humans so much, anyway?_ "

I looked down at him, sighing again. "Let's just say I've had some…less than pleasant experiences with fans like them." Nibbles nodded in a 'say no more' gesture.

When I got back to Sean's office, I saw Sean talking to Becky, who was reporting another failed mission to find Cosmonium. I walked up to Sean's desk, smiling to let them know I had good news (at least as the search was concerned).

"Whoa! Slow down a second!" Sean said when he saw the grin on my face, "Don't tell me you actually found some Cosmonium?"

"Yes. It's on the championship belt worn by a masked fighter called Dino Gigante." I reported, not missing the sudden tense, nervous expression on Sean's face at the mention of Dino Gigante's name, "He wants to battle another masked fighter called the Flying Smile Kid."

"What?!" Becky exclaimed, "It's on the belt worn by Dino Gigante?! And now he wants you to find the Flying Smile Kid so they can fight one more match?!" She then sighed, "Geez. I sound like the narrator over here."

We both looked at Sean, who had his fingers pressed to his temples. He looked pained.

"What are we gonna do?" Becky asked her brother. Sean jolted, then sighed.

"This is gnarly. I don't have any idea where to find the Flying Smile Kid." he growled, frustrated, "How do you find a ghost, man? It's, like, blowing my MIND!"

Becky narrowed her eyes. It was clear that she knew more about this situation than she was letting on, but all she said was, "There must be something we can do!"

Sean rubbed his temples again, then stood up. "Yeah, okay. Maybe I can talk to Dino Gigante myself. If he knows the world is, like, depending on him and stuff, he might fork over the belt." He laughed nervously. "'Cause, like, what does a belt matter if the WORLD ends, man?" He then left, heading to the Fossil Stadium. Becky, Nibbles, and I followed him into the lobby where Becky stopped, deep in thought. Meanwhile, I growled.

"It won't make a difference. Celebrities won't give up the symbols of their strength, no matter what's at stake." I muttered to myself, "There's only one option; we have to find this Flying Smile Kid, whoever the hell he is."

I looked back at Becky, who was still lost in her thoughts. I placed a hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention.

"You okay, Becky?" I asked her. The blond girl stared at the floor for a few moments, then turned to look at me, her eyes conflicted.

"…Tria…I have a favor to ask you." she said hesitantly.

"Sure thing. Whaddya need?" I asked, smiling.

"I need to visit Goldrush Canyon, and I was hoping you'd tag along." she told me, "Frankly, I have my doubts Sean will be able to talk Dino Gigante out of his belt. So I figured we'd go look for the Cosmonium on our own. That sound like a plan to you?"

I arched my eyebrow. We already knew where the Cosmonium was; the only problem was getting it. Still, I had a feeling she wasn't actually looking for Cosmonium, and it was better than any plan I had, so I went along with her.

"Sure!" I replied, earning me a bright smile from the American Warden.

"Thanks, Tria! All right, let's go!" she said happily, leading me to the Garage.

"Wait, smile?" I thought, glancing back at the Fossil Center before entering the Garage with Becky.

As we drove through the dig site, Becky opened up further.

"Okay, so the truth is, there's a special something I'm hoping to excavate. It's near the Cavern Pool area at the very depths of the dig site. I'll lead you there! Follow me!" she explained as she guided me to the back of the dig site. We soon got to a cavern that contained a small pool of water, likely collected from rains over a long period of time. We drove through the water onto a platform next to the far wall. Becky drove up to the wall, scanning it with her sonar.

"It must be buried somewhere near here…" she muttered, more to herself than to me.

"If I may ask, Becky, what exactly are we looking for?" I asked her.

"Oh! We're not looking for a fossil this time." she told me, "We're looking for a mask!"

"A mask?!" I explained, "So he really is…?"

"Yeah. Just trust me on this one." she said.

"Don't worry. I think I get the picture." I replied, scanning the wall. It was then that I noticed an odd reading in an area near the floor of the platform. "What's that?"

"Oh wow! You found it! That was seriously fast!" Becky complimented me, "Now let's get it out of there!"

I nodded, extending my drill to join Becky in digging out the mask. It was purple with white at the back and feather-like extensions from the top. The mouth area was open so that the wearer could show off his bright, blinding smile. It vaguely resembled a Nychus.

"Nice!" Becky cheered, "Let's get this mask back to my brother on the double!"

"Right!" I yelled back in affirmation, following Becky back out of the dig site.

We found Sean in his office, glaring out his window. When he heard us enter, he turned on his heel and faced us.

"I am totally bummin' right now." he said, frowning, "I sat down with Dino Gigante and talked to him dude-to-dude, but when I asked for the belt, he totally laughed in my face! It was seriously uncool."

Becky and I exchanged looks, with Becky nodding to me as I took out the mask, handing it to Sean.

"Aw, thanks, Tria. Even with the world about to end, you're giving me presents to try to cheer me up." the American leader thanked me, smiling sadly. He then looked down at the mask in his hands and his smile fell completely.

"Um…" he muttered, glaring suspiciously at me, "Where did you get this? I thought this was totally lost forever…"

"We dug it up for you." Becky explained, approaching her brother as he once again faced the window, "If there was ever a time for heroes, my brother, it's now. Don your mask! Become the king of aerial combat! The masked prince of grins!" She walked right up to him, grabbing his shoulders. "Become the Flying Smile Kid!"

Sean looked away from his sister, unable to meet her eyes. "No way! Can't do it! I totally gave up that life when I lost to Dino Gigante." He finally met her eyes, the despair in them painful. "The Flying Smile Kid is dead!"

Becky glared at her brother, crossing her arms. "Stop sniveling and man up!" she ordered, her voice completely lacking any shred of sympathy, "You WANT this, Sean! Deep down, you WANT to return to this world! Otherwise, you wouldn't have buried the mask-you would've destroyed it!"

"Maaaan…." Sean groaned, pressing his forehead against the cool glass of his window.

"Please?" Becky asked, more gently this time, "Just once more? Do it to stop Dr. Blackraven…"

Sean didn't move.

"Do it to give Dino Gigante the final battle he's been hoping for…"

Still nothing.

"But most of all, do it for yourself!" Becky yelled passionately.

Sean still didn't move, continuing to stare out the window. Becky sighed sadly, turning away. That's when the words came to me.

"Give us a grin…" I mumbled, causing both Wardens to jolt to attention and stare at me in shock. I looked up, smiling at Sean. "Again and again…"

Sean stared at me, bright blue eyes beginning to shimmer with tears. "That's my old chant…" he muttered, the ghost of a smile on his lips, "Perhaps the spirit of the mask does not lie as dormant as I once believed." He placed a hand over his chest, a look of confusion and joy flashing across his face. "My heart burns with a passion I thought I would never know again…"

"Oh, Sean!" Becky cheered, running up to and embracing her brother. Sean returned his sister's embrace, whispering into her ear.

"Thanks, Becks. What would I do without you?"

I smiled at the two siblings, patting Nibbles' head and smiling at him as they separated, Sean once again standing proudly.

"Go! Return to the Fossil Stadium and tell the people I am coming!" he ordered us. When we both looked at him in confusion, he simply turned around again. "I'm sorry, my friends. But when a fighter dons his mask…" He glanced back at us. "He dons his mask alone."

Becky, Nibbles, and I all nodded to each other and left Sean's office, heading to the Fossil Stadium to announce the return of Dino Gigante's greatest adversary: The Flying Smile Kid.


	26. Return of the Flying Smile Kid

When Becky and I entered the Fossil Stadium, it looked exactly the same as when I'd left, as if I had only been gone for a few minutes. The fans were crowded around Dino Gigante, who was laughing as he always did. The only difference was Lucky, who was standing off to the side, a look of deep contemplation on his face. He tensed and looked to the floor when he saw me.

"You again?" Dino Gigante said when he saw me, "I hear you ride with the Wardens, amiga!"

"That's right." I replied, already knowing what he was getting at. I was proven correct when he spoke again.

"Still, my answer will not change." he stated. His fan group all turned to face us.

"Yeah! You can't have his belt!" one of them repeated, getting in my face with a 'told-you-so' look.

"And don't think you can fool us with scary stories about the world ending!" another yelled, "Because we're not buying it!"

"The only one who can take this belt from Dino Gigante is the Flying Smile Kid!"

"Is that so?" I asked, smirking as Becky and I glanced at each other. As if on cue, a familiar laugh came from behind the crowd. And it wasn't Dino Gigante.

"HA HA HA!" The figure strode down the aisle, facing Dino Gigante. He was wearing an American cowboy outfit like he always did. The only difference was the Nychus mask that hid his face.

"Wh-Who is that?!" one fan exclaimed.

The figure laughed again. "Behold the warrior of the night! He who brings justice and floss to the people!" he declared dramatically, "Behold…the Flying Smile Kid!" He then leapt from the top of the stairs, landing in front of me and Becky before facing the crowd.

"Yeeeeah!" Sean yelled, flashing one of his famous smiles, "You can't touch these pearly whites!"

"Hey! I brush twice a day AND on weekends!" one of the fans commented, sounding insulted. Everyone ignored him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, old friend." Sean addressed Dino Gigante, "If it's a challenge you want, put your belt on the line and fight me!"

Dino Gigante stepped forward, crossing his arms, his voice smug. "So, you finally come crawling back to the world of masked fossil fighting!" He then lifted his head, tears dripping from the eye-holes in his mask. "That makes Dino Gigante…it makes him…" He turned away, sniffling.

"Um…" one fan muttered, "Is Dino crying?"

"Crying? He's bawling his eyes out!" another exclaimed.

Suddenly, Dino Gigante spun back around, showing no sign of the tears that had been pouring from his eyes not five seconds ago. "So be it, amigo!" he declared, "If it's a fight you want, then a fight you shall have!" He tilted his head, his voice holding a smirk. "Still, Dino Gigante fears you may have forgotten how to battle after these long years…" I knew Sean narrowed his eyes at that comment, but he didn't say anything as Dino declared, "So rather than a single match, our battle shall take the form of a grand tournament! The event will take place in this very Fossil Stadium and feature the finest fighters from around the world!" I heard Dino Gigante's smirk deepen. "And to show that he is not without humility, Dino Gigante will fight as part of a team. You should consider doing the same, old friend." He finally concluded, laughing, "For you stand no chance on your own! Gya ha ha ha ha!" He then left the Fossil Stadium, his fans following him to alert the media. Lucky stood in slight awe, then looked at me, first with admiration and then with a glare, and ran off after Dino Gigante. Sean looked at us as he took off his mask.

"Sean! That was the greatest thing I've ever seen!" Becky declared, hugging her brother.

"Save your words for later, dear sister!" Sean replied, "There can be no victory unless I defeat Dino Gigante and lay claim to his belt." He looked away. "I've fought my share of Fossil Battles as a Warden…But I've had three years for my masked fighting skills to wane. I have need of your strength, sister!"

"Of course, brother!" Becky replied, smiling. Sean smiled back before turning his attention to me.

"I need your strength as well, Tria." he said, surprising me, "You must join my team and enter the tournament!"

Right!" I agreed, smiling at the joy that had returned to the siblings' eyes.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Sean said, causing me to look at him in confusion. He grinned. "I won't battle alongside anyone who isn't my Paleo Pal!" he declared, "Do not quarrel with me on this! I will accept no answer but yes!"

My eyes went wide, as did my grin. "Of course!"

"And now, we ride!" Sean yelled as he led us to the reception desk, "This will mark the glorious return of the Flying Smile Kid! Soon, everyone will remember the smile that brought joy across the world! You can count on it!"

The first two battles of the tournament were a breeze. Sean's Nychus and Becky's Big Allo, although they quarreled when they gave me a tour of Goldrush Canyon, were now perfectly in sync, just like their fighters. I sent Lythro into battle, giving him a chance to let off steam and me a chance to learn how he battles against other vivosaurs. With a body made entirely of gold fossils, his moves were costly, but they were also insanely powerful, and he wasn't hateful like Gorgo once was. He also didn't seem to have any problems working in a team, which was a relief to me. Soon, the final battle was upon us.

"There is nothing to fear as long as we're together!" Sean told me and Becky, "So let's go out there and show the people what this team is made of! We ride!"

"Yeah!" we both cheered back.

We sent out our team, the three carnivores roaring at the other Bone Buggies. Dino Gigante sent out his partner: Styraco. One of his teammates sent out the Water-type carnivore Mapo, which gnashed its teeth in anticipation. The third Bone Buggy, an unmarked red one, sent out a familiar-looking Ajka.

"Let us begin!" Sean yelled, "Nychus! Lunging Claw on Styraco!"

The raptor shrieked at the sight of his familiar foe, rushing forward and striking the horned vivosaur with his claws, preparing another attack as his Speedster ability was activated.

"Beak Snap!" Sean commanded, and Nychus obeyed, closing his jaws on Styraco's back.

Styraco roared in pain, jumping around. It then flung itself backward, trying to crush Nychus underneath it, but the swift raptor evaded the move, taking his battle stance again.

Meanwhile, Mapo and Big Allo were exchanging blows. Big Allo's LP Recovery ability gave him an advantage, but Mapo's size meant that it would not go down easily. The two seemed to be in a deadlock as neither could defeat the other.

While all of this was going on around us, Lythro and Ajka faced off. Ajka seemed nervous in the face of his larger, more intimidating opponent, but I could tell by the rage in his fighter's eyes that this would not be an easy match.

Ajka roared, jumping up and diving at Lythro, eyes nearly red with the rage of his fighter. Lythro narrowed his constantly-red eyes and threw his head in the air, throwing the small herbivore back across the field. Ajka got up and charged again, this time aiming for Lythro's chest. Lythro stopped him again, this time with his foot, holding his opponent in place. Ajka shrieked in anger, escaping and jumping back. I looked to the side and my eyes widened.

"Lythro! Look out!" I called to the large carnivore. He looked just in time to see Mapo charge forward and clamp his jaws down on the back of Lythro's neck. Ajka took this chance to slam into Lythro, sending him staggering backward as Ajka prepared another attack. I was not having it.

"Lythro! Head Shredder! Get that Mapo off of you!" I commanded. Lythro roared, bringing up his bladed horns and sending Mapo staggering backward, just in time for it to be brought down by Big Allo's Beastly Bite. Lythro then focused his attention on the charging Ajka.

"Hypno Tail!" I yelled. Lythro glared, not liking the two-against-one attack strategy that was being used against him, a strategy he viewed as cowardly, and spun around, knocking Ajka back to his fighter, who could do nothing but stare in disbelief as Ajka's Dino Gear returned to him. With the other two members of Dino Gigante's team defeated, everyone turned back to the battle between Nychus and Styraco.

The two old rivals charged at each other, each managing to deliver attacks, but neither able to land a finishing blow.

"Nychus! Somersault Kick!" Sean ordered.

Nychus ran forward and struck the herbivore. Styraco bellowed in challenge, shaking off the attacks as its parting blow was activated. It changed, aiming the horn on its nose directly at Nychus.

"No!" Becky yelled, distressed. Neither of our vivosaurs would reach them in time, and Nychus was in a weakened stance and couldn't dodge. That's when I noticed something.

"Kid!" I called to Sean, "The Boost Skill! The bar is full!"

Sure enough, with all of the attacks we'd been using, the elemental energy had charged to the point where a Boost Skill could be used. Sean grinned.

"Nychus!" he called, "Somersault Break!"

Nychus screeched, speeding toward his opponent and striking it with his top claws, the force of the attack sending Styraco into the air. The audience gasped as Nychus leapt up after it, striking with his scythe-like toe-claws and sending the herbivore to the ground. Nychus landed in front of his fallen rival, smirking as it disappeared in a flash of light. The crowd went wild.

"Yes! We did it!" Becky cheered.

"Yeah!" I added. I then noticed Sean looking at the crowd, as if off in a daze. "Sean? Are you okay?"

"Look at them." he muttered, smiling even as tears ran down his mask, "Becky, Tria, look at them. All the smiling people. My people are happy…"

"Yes, they are." Becky said kindly.

"And it's all because of you, Kid." I added.

Sean sniffled, nodding as we drove out of the arena. When we got out, we were greeted by a rather…odd sight.

"Is Dino crying? Again?" a fan whispered.

"I…I lost…" Dino sobbed.

"He must really hate losing." another fan whispered. That's when Dino Gigante looked up, laughing.

"Gya ha ha ha! Not at all, friends! These are tears of joy!" he declared, "I weep because fate gave me the chance to face my greatest rival once more!" When he saw us, he approached, placing a hand on Sean's shoulder. "You have defeated me, old friend. As promised, the belt is yours." He took it off, holding it for a second before handing it to his rival. "I am sad to remove my belt, but I'm glad it's going to a good cause."

"So you did believe us when we told you the world was ending, but you still insisted on being difficult?!" I thought exasperatedly. Nibbles growled. Sean didn't seem affected.

"You fought as a true warrior, Dino Gigante." he said, shaking his rival's hand as the fans cheered.

"When next we meet on the field of battle, it is you who will fall to me!" Dino declared.

"If the spirit of the mask wills it so, it shall be." the Kid replied. The fans cheered again.

Back in Sean's office, I stood before the American siblings.

"I'll send this Cosmonium over to HQ." Sean told me, smiling, "I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my heart. How can I ever replay you?"

"Oh, you don't need to repay me…" I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"I owe you as well." Becky said, much to my surprise, "My brother's like a whole new person now!"

"I'm just glad I could help." I replied.

"Now that we have fought in the bright lights of the Fossil Stadium, I hope you won't hesitate to call on me again." Sean said, "Together, we ride!" He flashed me his famous smile, and I matched it with one of my own.

Back in the lobby, I was about to head back through the World Gate, but then I noticed that I was being watched. Lucky was staring at me through the door, looking like something from a horror movie. It was creepy.

"Hello, Lucky." I said when I approached him, "What's wrong?"

"…You won…" he mumbled, "I did everything I could to beat you, but you still won." He looked up at me. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes, I am." I replied, "I'm happy that we're one step closer to stopping Blackraven." I rested my hand on the boy's shoulder, kneeling down so we were at eye level. "I know you admire Dino Gigante, and that's wonderful, and just because he lost this round doesn't mean he's any less of a fighter, or that he should be any less admired." When I saw Lucky still looking troubled, I asked, "What else is the matter, Lucky?"

The kid looked away, then clenched his fists and glared at me, the anger and hatred in his eyes paralyzing.

"And what about what you said at the Stadium?! About me being a horrible Paleo Pal!" he yelled, throwing my hand off his shoulder, "Are you telling me I should get over that, too?!"

I stared at the boy, shocked, then I closed my eyes and turned my head downward. "No, I'm not. I…That was a terrible thing for me to say. I didn't really mean it." I said, looking at the boy sorrowfully. "I guess…I was upset that Dino Gigante was being difficult with the Cosmonium, when the world was in danger, and I took it out on you." My eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Do you think you can forgive me?"

Lucky glared at me, backing away. His clenched fists were trembling as he shook his head.

"Forgive you?" he snarled viciously, tears streaming down his face, "You insult Dino Gigante, call me a horrible friend for defending him, brutally beat Ajka, and you want me to FORGIVE you?!" He backed away from me, sobs escaping his lips along with his next words.

"I hope I never see you again!"

He then ran off, leaving me standing in front of the Fossil Stadium, my eyes closed as I absorbed his words. A single tear escaped my eye, and I let it fall to the ground. Nibbles whimpered, nudging my hand. I looked down at him, gently stroking his head.

"Come on, buddy. We still have work to do." I said, turning on my heel and heading through the World Gate to Fossil Park Europe. I may have been upset, but I was still a Warden, and I would complete my mission, no matter what.


	27. A Viking's Nature

When I entered Drake's office, I saw him sitting on the couch next to his desk, his arms crossed and a contemplative look on his face. He stood up when he saw me.

"H-Hey, Tria." he greeted me, "Violet was trying to, um, foretell the location of the Cosmonium." He scratched the back of his head, "I thought she could, maybe, you know, use her spooky powers for good?"

When I noticed he seemed to be seeking my approval, I nodded, smiling reassuringly, "I think that's a good idea."

Drake smiled shyly at me, then jumped slightly as the witch's voice called from outside.

"By the twitching of my eye, something wicked this way flies!" Violet declared as she entered the office. She then saw me and smiled. "Oh! Hello, Tria. You aren't wicked at all. That's odd."

"Speak for yourself…" I thought grimly, remembering my recent fight with Lucky.

Violet, not noticing my inner shame, continued, "Yes, well, I have some good news!"

Drake's eyes widened. "D-Do you mean it…worked?" he asked, not quite willing to believe it.

"Of COURSE it worked!" Violet replied, insulted, "And don't look so shocked!" She cleared her throat and continued, "I gazed deep into my crystal ball, and saw something extraordinary! It was a rampaging vivosaur with a gigantic head! The mad beast was surrounded by snow as far as the eye could see, and it was guarding a pile of Cosmonium!"

"A land of snow?" I wondered out loud, "Like a mountain range or something?" I turned to Drake, only to find him trembling, his eyes wide and terrified and his body shaking.

"Snow…A huge head…Oh no…" he muttered fearfully, "That's the Raja Devil!"

"The Raja Devil?!" Violet exclaimed, before adding, "That's a stupid name."

Drake ignored her, turning to me. "This needs…personal attention. Will you come with me to a dig site, Tria?" he asked me. He then looked at the floor. "I mean, u-unless you're busy…or…you know, don't like me…"

"Of course I'll go." I replied, "I did come here to help, after all!"

Drake nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you. W-We need to go visit a dig site called…the Frozen Wastes." Violet gasped, making Drake glance at her uncomfortably. "I'll m-meet you there." He then left quickly. I made to follow him, but Violet's next words stopped me.

"The Frozen Wastes?! He's crazy! The Frozen Wastes is a forbidden dig site! It's been sealed off for ages!" she rambled, gripping her wand and looking at the floor. "I don't think this is a good idea…" She then looked up and, seeing me staring at her, forced a smile. "Er, I mean, you'll be fine! Yep! That's it! Tooootally Fiiiine."

I smiled at the distressed woman, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Violet. I'll be all right. We'll get the Cosmonium and bring it back, and everything will be fine."

Violet nodded, but grabbed my wrist when I turned to leave again. "Um…there's still one teeny-tiny thing I should warn you about…" she said, her face serious as she stared into my eyes, "Drake seems pretty shy, but he can actually be kind of extreme when it comes to battle." She took my hand and squeezed it. "Just keep an eye out, okay?"

I squeezed back, nodding. "Will do." I then left, heading through the portal in the Garage to the Frozen Wastes dig site. There, I was met with a teal Rock Crusher that could only belong to Drake.

"Thank you…for coming, Tria." Drake said when I drove up to him. As he led me down the frozen path, he continued, "L-Let me tell you a little about…this dig site. So, um, this used to be one of the most crowded dig sites anywhere. But one day…everything changed."

Drake gulped, whimpering quietly as he continued to explain, "All because of a single rogue vivosaur called the Raja Devil. N-No one has ever defeated it in battle. No one has even tried…in a long time. It's so scary, it even…chased away all the other rogue vivosaurs. Since then, we…sealed it off so no one could…enter."

"But we need the Cosmonium, so we have to go in." I stated. Drake whimpered again, but nodded and continued driving. As we were driving through the blizzard, I stuck my hand out of the window, expecting to feel the biting cold, but I didn't. I retracted my hand before Drake could notice, adding a mental note to inform Elric that, although the holographic disguise mimicked human pain from injuries, it doesn't take temperature sensitivities into account.

Eventually, we reached a cave at the top of a snow-covered mountain that led into a network of tunnels. At the end of the network of tunnels was a large cave that lay at the deepest point of the dig site. It was there that we found the Raja Devil.

The Raja Devil looked like a larger, more powerful version of a Raja, except that its eyes glowed red with anger and bloodlust. It glared as it turned to face us, standing in front of a pile of a familiar neon-green mineral.

"GRRAAAAAAARRRR!" the Raja Devil roared, challenging us to take its treasure.

"Th-There it is!" Drake exclaimed, "The Raja Devil!"

"Let's go take it down!" I yelled, driving forward with Drake.

As we drove up to it, Nibbles and I gawking slightly at the sheer size of the beast (nearly twice the size of a normal Raja), Drake addressed me.

"D-Did I ever tell you, Tria…? I am descended from…vikings. The ones who once, um, marauded across the high seas?" he asked, not really expecting an answer as he continued, "In m-my body flows…the blood of…warriors. N-Normally I'm pretty…reserved. But that's…not the real me." He looked at me, as if gauging my reaction. "The real me is…a ferocious berserker. So o-once I get into battle…I transform into…my true self."

I nodded to him, indicating that I understood and was ready. He nodded back. "N-now then…Let's go!"

Suddenly, another fearsome roar echoed through the tunnel and the dig site beyond. The strength of the roar rivaled even the one I used to scare off the BR Brigade in the Dusty Steppes. And it was not coming from the Raja Devil.

"I AM DRAKE, DESTROYER OF WORLDS!" Drake roared at his opponent, "I WILL MAKE YOU RUE THE DAY YOUR LIZARD PARENTS EVER CONSIDERED LAYING YOUR EGG!"

I stared at the screen, completely shocked by the European leader's complete change in demeanor. His eyes, usually shy and downcast, were now wide and full of bloodlust that matched even the Raja Devil. He also wore a psychotic grin.

"I SHALL CLEAVE YOU IN TWAIN AND DANCE ABOUT YOUR STEAMING CORPSE! I WILL TURN YOU INTO MINCEMEAT AND ROLL THE MINCEMEAT IN DOUGH AND THEN FRY SAID DOUGH IN HOT OIL!" Drake laughed psychotically, "YOU WILL MAKE A FINE MEAL! AAAAH HA HA HA HA!" He then sent out his battle-scarred vivosaur, Ankylo BO, who bellowed at his opponent with the same ferocity of his fighter. I sent out Gorgo, who was the most experienced battler on my team and used to going on a rampages.

The Raja Devil roared, charging toward us. Ankylo BO swung the club on his tail upward, catching it under its chin and throwing it backward. The Fire-type herbivore then rammed his head into the Raja Devil, sending it flying.

Gorgo roared, not wanting to be left out, and ran forward, clamping down on the large carnivore's back and slashing its leg with his toe claws. Drake cheered as Ankylo BO slammed his body into the Raja Devil's chest, sending both it and Gorgo flying backward. With the Raja Devil distracted by Ankylo BO, I saw my chance.

"Gorgo!" I called, "Grab the Cosmonium and bring it to me!" I ordered. Gorgo looked at me, not wanting to stop fighting, but nodded anyway, grabbing the Cosmonium and carrying it over to me. With the green mineral in my possession, I let Gorgo rejoin the rampage against the Raja Devil.

The Raja Devil roared, furious that we had stolen its treasure. However, unable to face the combined assault of the two rampaging Fire-type vivosaurs, it collapsed, reverting back to a Dino Gear.

"Well, looks like that's that." I said, looking at Drake, "Guess we'd better head back now."

"NO!" Drake yelled, startling me, "I AM NOT READY TO STOP! MY BLOODTHIRST HAS NOT BEEN SLAKED!" Ankylo BO roared in agreement. "I DEMAND MORE ENEMIES! MORE, I SAY!"

"Drake! Calm down!" I yelled to the berserker viking. He ignored me, driving around in a circle, laughing, before coming to a stop in front of me.

"TRIA! YOU WILL BE MY ENEMY!" Drake declared as his Ankylo BO took his battle stance, "I SHALL GRIND YOU BONES TO MAKE MY BREAD AND THEN COVER IT WITH A NICE STRAWBERRY JAM!"

"What?!" I exclaimed, "But I'm on your side!"

Drake ignored me, preparing to attack. Gorgo placed himself in front of me, preparing to fight. I grinned.

"All right! If it's more enemies you want, then how would you like to face my team of warriors!" I yelled as I sent out Lythro to join Gorgo. Nibbles jumped out as well, transforming as he landed in between the two large carnivores. Drake laughed gleefully.

"YES! FIGHT ME! I SHALL GRIND ALL OF YOU INTO MINCEMEAT AND USE YOUR BLOOD FOR MY DRINK!" Drake yelled, sending Ankylo BO to attack.

My three carnivores clamped their jaws down on the herbivore's legs, but the vivosaur of a viking would not fall easily. He spun around, sending my team staggering backward as he charged, knocking Gorgo to the ground before being sent flying by Nibbles' horn. Ankylo BO landed on his feet, swinging his clubbed tail toward Nibbles, but it was caught by Lythro, who threw the herbivore into the air, where he was sent back into his dormant Dino Gear form by Gorgo's Tail Bash. As my three vivosaurs returned to me, Drake screamed.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME! I NEED YOUR BONES FOR MY BREAD!"

"Come on, Drake!" I yelled, driving around larger Bone Buggy before driving back out of the cave, "If you want your bread, you'll have to catch it first!" I then sped out of the dig site, the crazed viking right behind me.

By the time we got back to Drake's office, the European leader had calmed down. He sat behind his desk, looking away from me sheepishly. Violet was standing off to the side, looking nervous.

"Um…" Drake muttered, "Th-That could've…gone better. The last bit, I mean. Where I…attacked and…chased you. And threatened to…eat your bones."

"Oh, I don't know." I said, "After all, nothing bad came of it, right?"

"That's right." Violet agreed, "The important thing is that nobody got turned into bread. And the OTHER important thing is that we got the Cosmonium! Also, we can probably reopen the Frozen Wastes to the public again. That's three good things!" She then glanced at the floor and muttered, "Still, it's too bad you had to get chased around like that. I hope you don't need therapy…"

"Not at all." I replied, looking at the viking Warden reassuringly, "I'm a Warden. I've dealt with worse. Besides…" I smiled, "I thought it was fun! My vivosaurs agree."

" _Speak for yourself._ " Nibbles growled. I kicked him lightly.

"Actually, I was speaking for Lythro and Gorgo. You know how they love to rampage." I corrected him.

"Um, so…" Drake muttered nervously, gaining my attention, "I h-have a favor to ask you, Tria." He looked around hesitantly, fiddling anxiously with the sleeve of his jacket. "W-Would you be my…Paleo Pal?" He looked away, trying to ignore the faint squeak from Violet. "I mean, we f-fought well together, when I wasn't trying to…make you into a sandwich. So, um…would that be okay?"

"Of course!" I replied immediately, catching Violet gawking at me from the corner of my eye, "I told you, I had fun, and I'm used to dealing with rampaging teammates." I placed a hand on Gorgo and Lythro's Dino Gears. "I'd be honored to be your Paleo Pal."

Drake looked up, smiling with relief. He had clearly been expecting me to refuse. "Th-Thank you. I'll take th-this chunk of…Cosmonium over to HQ. Thanks for…everything."

"No problem." I replied, smiling and saluting before walking out, exchanging a glance with the still-shocked Violet. She had clearly also been expecting me to refuse. I headed through the World Gate to Fossil Park Asia, where I went to report to Stryker that my mission was complete.


	28. Back in Time

After I reported to Captain Stryker, he told me to eat and get some sleep while Professor Little worked on getting the time gate ready. When I got to my room after eating a quick dinner (it was very late), I found Penny already asleep. Nibbles and I collapsed onto the bed, not even bothering to change into my pajamas or remove his bandana. I was out before my head hit the pillow.

I woke up to the morning light, but it was dimmer than usual. I opened my eyes, squinting at the figure hovering over my bed. I felt the tickle of long blond hair on my arm.

"Good morning, Tria." Penny greeted me, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Meh." I muttered, "Still tired."

"I'm not surprised." my roommate replied, "You haven't slept since before we knew Dr. Blackraven's plan." She turned to leave the room, looking back to say, "I'll get your breakfast ready. You need to eat."

"Thanks, Penny." I said tiredly, getting changed into clean clothes and re-tying Nibbles' bandana, which had loosed during the night, for him. Heading into the kitchen, I was met with Nate and Roland.

"Good morning, Tria!" Roland greeted me, smiling, "We heard you did a lot of work yesterday!"

"Yep. The equivalent of four missions." I replied casually.

"I don't know how you manage." Roland muttered, shuddering.

"It's because Tria's crazy and has no common sense." Penny interjected in an indirect scolding to me, "And that was after we had to find her in Starry Falls!"

"Sorry about that." I said, looking at my plate guiltily. Penny patted my shoulder while Roland reassured me that it wasn't my fault. It was then that we heard a girly scream.

"Get this can-chomping vivosaur away from me!" Nate screamed, pressing himself against the wall as Nibbles poked at him, "He's after my butt! I know he is!"

"Calm down, Nate!" I said, rolling my eyes in annoyance, "He just wants you to get his steak. He's hungry, too, you know."

"Yeah…" Nate muttered as he headed for the meat storage, "Hungry for some rump roast!"

We all laughed at Nate's dramatizing. I then felt my phone vibrate. I picked it up as Stryker's face appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, Tria." he said, smiling despite his serious tones, "I need you to report to my office as soon as you're finished eating."

"Yes sir!" I replied, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"A few minutes?!" Penny exclaimed, "You need more time than that!"

"I'm sorry, Penny, but right now, time is something none of us have." I replied seriously, finishing off my eggs and chasing them with my orange juice. I looked down at Nibbles, who had just finished his steak. "You ready, buddy?"

"Grr!" he replied, getting up and following me to Stryker's offices.

"I received the Cosmonium." he said as we entered, "Good work. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Thank you, sir." I said, blushing at the praise.

Stryker nodded. "Professor Little is currently working around the clock to get the time gate open."

As if on cue, the young genius' voice was heard from the elevator. "Good morning, Captain! Oh, hello, Tria."

"Ah! The man of the hour returns!" Stryker said, crossing his arms, "Well, Professor? Can you get the time gate open?"

"If my calculations are correct, yes." Little replied, "We should have it open shortly. We also managed to find a time warble inside this very park!" He then cleared his throat, as he always did when he prepared to deliver bad news. "However, we will only be able to send three people back to the ancient world. You see, the force required to neutralize the hydrodynamic gravitation beams with a Schwarzchild wormhole prevents the-"

"Er, yes. Thank you, Professor." Stryker cut the rambling scientist off, not understanding what he was saying any more than Nibbles or I did, "Well then, I'll be one of the people going, but we still need two more."

Professor Little slammed his hands on the Captain's desk again, his eyes going wide with incredulous terror. "Y-You can't be serious, Stryker!" he stuttered, to freaked out to even call the Captain by his title, "Who will lead the Wardens in your absence?! Dr. Blackraven's brainwashing is already causing problems with the vivosaurs in our time! If you leave, I estimate an 88% chance of the world's Fossil Parks dissolving into chaos within a matter of days!"

Stryker growled, pressing his fingers to his temples. "But who else can we send?" he asked desperately.

Professor Little crossed his arms, mimicking the position Stryker had taken. I saw both of them glance at me, almost pleadingly, and nodded.

"Send me!" I declared, startling the two males.

"Are you serious, Tria?" Stryker exclaimed, not acknowledging the glance he had given me, meaning that it must've been subconscious.

"Of course I am!" I insisted. Nibbles roared in agreement.

The Captain stared at me for a few seconds, then visibly relaxed. "To be honest, I was hoping you'd volunteer." he admitted, sounding somewhat sheepish, "I can't think of anyone better suited for the task."

"Of course, we will provide all the support we can." the Professor added, admiring my willingness to risk my life for the Fossil Parks.

"No one knows what terrors await you in the ancient world. Make sure to bring Paleo Pals you know you can trust." Stryker told me.

"Yes, sir!" I replied, saluting the Captain as I entered the elevator with Nibbles and Professor Little.

"I'll meet you across from the Garage as soon as you're ready." he told me, heading in that direction. I headed into the middle of the lobby, thinking.

" _Who are you gonna take?_ " Nibbles asked me curiously.

"I don't know." I replied, looking around, "America and Europe already have a shortage of Wardens, so I don't want to take anyone from them, but this is the Warden HQ, so there are more vivosaurs here that need to be contained, so I'm hesitant to take any of them, either. Lucky's still mad at me, and even if he wasn't, I would never take him somewhere this dangerous." I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, continuing to think. "Maybe we should just go on our own? That's what we normally do anyway."

Nibbles shrugged, not really caring, but then we heard a scream.

"Ah! Somebody help!" the familiar voice cried. I rolled my eyes.

"Sounds like Roland's on a roll again." I sighed, standing in the hefty boy's path and stopping him with my foot.

"Oh, thank you, Tria." he said, picking himself off the floor, "I was just running to catch up to you, but then I tripped, and you know how that goes…" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. I just smiled.

"Do I ever." I replied, chuckling softly. Nibbles snorted.

"Oh yeah!" Roland exclaimed in sudden realization, "What did Captain Stryker say?"

"The time gate will be open shortly." I replied, "However, only three people can pass through it. That team still needs to be decided."

Roland gulped. "The…time gate…it leads to the time of the dinosaurs, right?" When I nodded, he looked at me again, "Are you going, Tria?"

"Yep." I replied simply, "I just need to pick two people to go with me. Captain Stryker and the Park leaders are needed here to handle the vivosaurs that are starting to fall under Blackraven's control, and I'm hesitant to take Wardens from Europe or America, since they're short-staffed to begin with."

"Well…" Roland muttered, suddenly hesitant. He looked like he wanted to say something, but was afraid of the response he was going to get. When he didn't continue, I did.

"I was just considering the possibility of going alone. After all, I've faced strong enemies before, and it IS a dangerous assignment."

"No way!" Roland yelled with unexpected ferocity. When I recoiled, he continued in a calmer, yet no less determined tone, "If you need a team, then I'll go with you!"

"Really?" I asked, shocked. I was seriously not expecting him to volunteer. "Are you sure, Roland? We'll be facing dinosaurs, not vivosaurs, and there's also the risk of being trapped in the ancient world, unable to return." I looked at him seriously. "Are you sure you want to risk that?"

"Of course!" Roland answered without hesitation. He then got a hesitant look on his face. "I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous, but if you're there, Tria." he said, smiling, "I'd be willing to go."

I smiled, hugging the hefty male happily. "Thank you, Roland! You're the best!" I pulled away, my smile falling slightly. "But what about Fossil Park Asia? Are you sure they can spare you?"

"They should." Roland replied, shrugging, "I'm not even doing much here. Penny's doing most of the work with controlling the vivosaurs. Her Hypsi's singing is surprisingly effective."

I smiled. "That sounds like the perfect job for her. Penny and Hypsi are also kind and understanding, so they can comfort the vivosaurs that are suffering."

Roland nodded, then looked around the Fossil Center. "We still need one more person though, don't we?"

I was about to respond, but then I heard movement off to my side, near Professor Little's lab, followed by a nervous, yet resigned voice.

"I'll go…"

Roland, Nibbles, and I turned, wide-eyed, to see Nate standing there, his clenched fists trembling at his side and his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Are you sure, Nate?" I asked the obviously-terrified male, "You do know how dangerous-"

"I KNOW how dangerous it is." he interrupted me, "I heard you tell Roland." He then clenched his fists more tightly, his knuckles turning white. "I won't say that I'm not scared. Heck, I'm terrified!" he said, finally lifting his eyes to meet mine, "But you're always risking your neck, and your butt, for the Fossil Parks, and the world, and all I do is stand back and watch from a safe distance. I didn't even help you in the Parsec tournament, even though I didn't have anything else I had to do!"

"You didn't?" I asked in feigned confusion. Knowing this wasn't the time to tease the poor boy, I grabbed his hand, holding it to make sure I had his attention. "Nate, there's nothing wrong with valuing your life. It's perfectly natural to want to live, and a natural part of preserving life is to avoid life-threatening situations. I've never thought less of you for it."

"But I'm a Warden!" he yelled, making me lean back slightly, though I didn't let go of his hand, "I'm supposed to protect these parks, even at the cost of my own life!"

"There is more than one way to protect the parks." I told him evenly, "Not everyone can charge into dangerous situations."

"You do…" Nate muttered. Roland rested his hand on his fellow Asian Warden's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"I also work directly under the Captain and serve as his emissary. Being sent into potentially-dangerous situations that other Wardens can't handle on their own is my job." I reminded both of them, "I'm used to that kind of life, one that can end at any moment. I thrive on it." I then chuckled, adding lightly, "I also have a chronic lack of common sense, as I'm sure you've heard from Penny." Both boys laughed with me, nodding in confirmation. I grabbed Roland's hand as well, forming a triangle between the three of us. "My point is, I'm born for this kind of job. Not many people are. So please…" I looked at both of them, knowing that, although Nate voiced it, Roland was thinking the same thing. "Don't compare yourselves to me. Our strengths are different, and that's a good thing. Different strengths lead to a variety that allows the Wardens to protect the Fossil Parks in all the ways needed. That being said…"

The boys looked at me. I had their full attention.

"I would be very grateful to accept both of your invitations to join me on my journey to the ancient world, if the offers are still open…"

"Of course!" Nate and Roland both yelled in unison. I smiled.

"Then let's go speak to Professor Little. He should have the time gate open by now."

The three of us made our way to the space where Professor Little said he would be, across from the Garage. There was a massive ramp there, leading to the stabilizing time gate.

"Hello there, Tria." Little greeted me, looking at Nate and Roland with slight surprise, "Are you two the other members of Tria's team?"

Nate and Roland both nodded, gulping with sudden nervousness. I nodded too. Professor Little nodded, explaining how we wouldn't be able to communicate with anyone in the present once we left, and that we had a limited amount of time before the gate closed, so we had to get back here before that happened.

"Hey, Professor Boring Guy." Nate said suddenly, never being known for his respect, "What's the ramp for?"

Professor Little looked annoyed at Nate's nickname for him, but answered anyway, "To break through the time gate, you'll have to be moving at a very high rate of speed. That ramp will launch you through. Get in your Bone Buggies and load them in here." As we all headed to the Garage to get our Bone Buggies, the child professor pulled on my sleeve.

"Tria?" he asked me, "Am I really boring?"

I chuckled in understanding, kneeling in front of the small boy. "Of course not." I assured him, "Nate has a bit of a short attention span, and he doesn't understand most of what you say, so he can't focus on it, and therefore finds it boring." I ruffled the boy's green hair, trying to force down the guilt at how familiar this felt. "You do speak over us sometimes, but that's just our intelligence not measuring up to yours." I smiled sincerely. "Just remember, we'd be lost without you, and we are grateful for everything you do for us, even if some people have an…odd way of showing it." I glanced back in the direction Nate and Roland had gone. "So, to answer your question, no, you're not boring."

Little grinned at me, looking relieved. He then almost pounced on me, his arms around my neck. I returned his embrace as I heard him whisper, "Thank you, Tria. You're the best."

"I seem to be hearing that a lot lately." I said as he let go, still smiling, "Hearing it from you, though, means there just might be some truth to it."

Professor Little laughed at that, grinning happily at me. "Good luck, Tria. We're counting on you."

I nodded, patting his head once more before following the rest of my team. With our Bone Buggies loaded, we heard Professor Little over the radio.

"Remember, you have to move very quickly to get through, so put the pedal to the metal, and let me do the rest! Also, the time gate won't stay open forever, so if it begins to close, get back to it as soon as possible, no matter what you're in the middle of! Understood?"

"Roger, Professor!" I replied. Nibbles growled in agreement.

"Y-Yeah…" Roland stuttered, trembling. Nate was silent, using all of his willpower to keep himself together.

"Okay, guys. Let's do this!" Little called, launching us up the ramp. We all floored our accelerators, speeding up the ramp and through the open time gate.

After a few seconds of blackness, we emerged, landing in a small clearing.

"D-Did we make it?" Roland asked, his eyes closed.

"N-No idea." Nate whimpered. His eyes were also closed.

"Yep." I replied, causing both of them to open their eyes and look around, "Welcome to the Cretaceous Period."

My teammates gawked at the scenery around them. Tall trees towered over everything, with ferns growing all over the place. A massive volcano loomed in the distance, smoke rising from the center to signal its active nature. The most amazing part of this world, however, was the massive Sauroposeidon herd lumbering around a few of the trees, their long necks letting them reach the leaves far above the ground.

"Wooooow…" my companions muttered, speechlessness taking them.

"All right! Enough gawking, you two!" I called to them, "Remember, we have a job to do here! We have to stop Blackraven!"

"Right!" they both yelled, following me as I drove down the bumpy path.

After a while of searching (and being chased by a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex and then an irate Triceratops), Nate spotted an odd device in another clearing, fairly near the clearing we had entered into. As we got closer, we saw a large, pyramid-shaped device with what looked like two massive megaphones attached to the top, emitting soundwaves across the entire area. It was guarded by the three higher ups of the BR Brigade.

"My Super Braindrainer is working far better than I could have expected!" Blackraven declared gleefully, "Soon every dinosaur in history will call ME master! Bwa ha ha ha!"

"Super Braindrainer?" I asked exasperatedly, "What kind of a name is that?"

" _No worse than Nibblesaurus…_ " Nibbles growled.

"Technically, you're not called that anymore." I corrected, smiling down at him sympathetically, "Ever since your transformation, you're Munchsaurus now." Nibbles growled in frustration and exasperation.

"Uh…Tria…?" Nate asked me, "Is that…"

"Yep. That's the BR Brigade." I answered simply. Nate gulped.

"So…what should we do?" Roland asked me, looking lost and scared.

"Exactly what we came here for." I replied, "We stop them!"

I then drove into the clearing, my companions protesting even as they followed me. My Digger's Rig stood at the front of the group, facing the BR Brigade's leader.

"Y-You!" he cried, unable to believe that we had managed to chase him, even here.

"Wardens?! But how?!" Kowloon exclaimed, sounding more angry than afraid.

"I was not expecting to be seeing your like again!" Olga cried in her semi-distant voice.

"Hello, chumps!" I yelled, hoping that some of my confidence would rub off on my comrades.

"Impossible!" Blackraven yelled, "Only I know the secret of the time gate!"

"Not anymore!" I told him, smirking at his rage.

"…Wait. You looked in my cell, didn't you?" Blackraven accused me, "That makes you a THIEF!"

"You're one to talk!" I called back, but he didn't hear me.

"It also means the Wardens have someone with an intelligence that at least comes close to my own." he stated in realization. I smirked again, thinking of what Blackraven would say if he knew that the one who figured out his time gate formula was a young child prodigy.

Blackraven smirked. "Well then, since you chased me 100 million years into the past, I suppose you deserve a reward!" he said, laughing, "I will let you fight one of these precious dinosaurs you love so much! And this is no mere vivosaur, Wardens. Oh no. This is the real thing!" He turned to his lieutenants. "Kowloon! Stroganoff! Activate the Super Braindrainer, and summon some dinosaur friends to our aid! It's time to crush these flies under our boots!"

"Gladly." Kowloon purred.

"Real dinosaurs are stronger than mighty ox!" Olga added happily.

They both drove up to the machine, with Kowloon activating it. The massive device released more sound waves, the noise giving both me and Nibbles a splitting headache. Seconds later, the ground began shaking a trio of dinosaurs approached.

"Time for you to go EXTINCT! Bwaaaa ha ha ha ha!" Blackraven laughed maniacally. My team turned to face the three dinosaurs.

"W-We have to fight REAL dinosaurs?!" Nate screamed.

"How are we supposed to attack real dinosaurs?!" Roland cried, panicking.

"Drive them away!" I ordered my team, "Nate, have Edapho attack Sauroposeidon's legs! Cause enough pain to activate the fight-or-flight response!"

Nate squeaked, still unnerved, but he complied, having the small sailed vivosaur bite at the massive sauropod's feet, making it cry out in pain.

"Roland! Have Tricera challenge Triceratops! Show it that it's outmatched!"

Roland sent out his Tricera, who immediately locked horns with his dinosaur counterpart. Meanwhile, I sent out Lythro.

"Ok, Lythro! Show that T-rex it's no match for us!"

Lythro roared at the other large carnivore, brandishing his blade-like horns in an attempt to intimidate his opponent. The T-rex roared back, ramming its head into Lythro's chest. Lythro, however, had far more battle experience that the T-rex. With his opponent in a vulnerable position, Lythro brought his head down, slamming the T-rex into the ground. The large carnivore turned tail and fled, recognizing the disadvantage it was at.

"Nice work, Lythro!" I praised him when he returned to me as a Dino Gear. I looked to see that my friends had also managed to drive off their opponents.

"All right! We're the best!" Nate yelled victoriously.

"We actually managed to defeat real dinosaurs!" Roland cheered with Nate.

"Technically, you just managed to drive them off." I thought, but I let them have their moment. Blackraven, however, did not.

"Do you really think I will be so easily defeated?" he scoffed, "This world is CRAWLING with dinosaurs! I'll just summon another! And another! And another! Bwaaaa ha ha ha!"

"This should be quite the show." Kowloon chuckled.

"Just like attending the circus where bear drives little car while wearing hat!" Olga sang.

"Tria!" Nate called to me, terrified, "There's a huge group of dinosaurs gathering!"

"What are we going to do?!" Roland cried desperately, "There's too many of them!"

"This is bad…" I muttered, "We have to do something about that machine."

" _Leave it to me!_ " Nibbles growled, crawling out of my Bone Buggy.

"Nibbles? What are you-?" I began to ask, but then I was stunned into silence as he opened his jaws and fired an orb of dark energy at the brainwashing machine, destroying it.

"What the hell was that?!" Kowloon exclaimed.

"I am not knowing!" Olga cried, staring at Nibbles with wide eyes.

"Hey, check this out!" Nate called to me, "The large group of dinosaurs is scattering again!"

"We did it!" Roland cheered again, "We stopped the dinosaur brainwashing!"

Blackraven stared at Nibbles, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "That was dark energy…" he muttered, "How can that scrawny little vivosaur possibly be using dark energy?! The only creature that could actually do so was the masterpiece I creat-" He then stopped, eyes widening in realization as he smiled. "Ah. I understand now." he said before yelling, "Curse you, Stryker! You didn't destroy it after all!"

"GRAAAAAGH!" Nibbles roared in defiance.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, filling the clearing with a loud beeping sound. Olga gasped.

"Ack! The alarm is being sounded!"

Blackraven growled, "That blast of dark energy has destabilized our time gate! We must return to the present before it closes for good!"

"But Doctor!" Kowloon objected, "We only have enough Cosmonium to make this single trip! If we leave now, we may never be able to come back here!"

"Fool!" Blackraven barked, "Look around you! What good is our plan with the Super Braindrainer already destroyed?! We must return to the present day and come up with a new strategy for world domination! So unless you want to become a fossil, I suggest you follow me!" He then addressed me, "Tria, was it? You seem awfully fond of that vivosaur. Perhaps I'll let you keep him a little bit longer! Farewell!"

I drove up to the time gate, but it closed before I could do anything. "Damn it!" I growled low in my throat, "They got away…"

"Grrr…" Nibbles growled apologetically, nuzzling my hand. I patted his head, assuring him that I wasn't blaming him. I then heard an alarm coming from my own Bone Buggy.

"Nate! Roland! Our time gate's about to close!" I yelled to them, urging their Bone Buggies forward, "We have to get back to it before we're trapped here!"

My teammates floored their accelerators, speeding ahead of me. And, of course, this was the time the volcano decided to start spitting rocks into the air, raining them down onto the prehistoric forest. The earth shook with the volcano's wrath.

"There it is!" Nate yelled.

"The time gate!" Roland continued.

"We're gonna make it!" I said, relieved, before my eyes widened and I screamed, "Guys! LOOK OUT!"

It was too late. Due to the larger Bone Buggies they drove, the roofs didn't cave in when they were hit by the volcano's rocks, but their engines were completely knocked out.

"Crap! I'm stuck!" Nate cried, "We can't get to the time gate!"

"If we don't make it through, we'll be stuck here forever!" Roland sobbed in despair.

I looked between the two failed Bone Buggies, then down at Nibbles. He nodded, jumping out of my Digger's Rig and running over to Nate's Rock Crusher before transforming. I took my place behind Roland's Heavy Hauler.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" I yelled to my Paleo Pals, "You two are my friends, and I am getting you two back to the present if it's the last thing I do!"

"ROOOAAR!" Nibbles agreed with me. Then, simultaneously, we slammed ourselves into the two failed Bone Buggies, launching them into the collapsing time gate. As the gate closed behind them, I met with Nibbles in the clearing, my holographic disguise deactivated now that there was no human who could see me.

" _Well, here we are, Nibbles._ " I said to my companion, " _What shall we do first?_ "

Nibbles looked up at me, then looked at my Digger's Rig. " _What are you gonna do with that?_ "

I looked up at the human vehicle. It had suffered some damage from pushing the larger Bone Buggy, but it would be able to drive to where the brainwashing machine was. I got in, gesturing for Nibbles to do the same.

" _I'll put it near the 'Super Braindrainer' for now. We'll come back for it once a more stable time gate can be established._ " I said. Once that was done, I grabbed Nibbles and jumped up onto a cliff.

" _So how are we gonna get back?_ " he asked me, " _Is he gonna come back for us?_ "

I shook my head. " _No. No one's coming for us. We just have to wait for them to find us._ "

Nibbles gave me a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' look, so I poked his nose, smiling at him. " _You seem to be forgetting, Nibbles, that there is more than one way to travel through time._ " When he still looked confused, I smiled, leaping from one cliff to another and heading toward an island, one that I had learned about very early in life, knowing that it would have what I was looking for.

" _Remember the Dinodisc?_ "


	29. Tria's Gone?

Back in the modern Fossil Park Asia, two boys lay in the beds of their room, unconscious. In between them sat a blond girl. She was looking at the floor, a few tears lingering in her eyes. She looked up as a tall brunette male entered with a small green-haired child following close behind. They were both somber, and the boy was clearly struggling to hold back his own tears.

"Have you told them yet?" the blond girl asked. The tall brunette shook his head.

"Not yet. We're waiting for these two to wake up. They deserve to know first."

The girl nodded, desperately trying to swallow her sobs. The three people jolted slightly when one of the boys moved, finally beginning to wake up.

"Ugh…" the hefty male grumbled, blinking as the light hit his eyes, "Wha-?"

"Roland?" the blond girl whispered, "How are you feeling?"

Roland looked at the girl, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the light. "P-Penny?" he rasped hoarsely.

"Yeah. I'm right here." Penny said gently, resting a hand over his. That's when the other boy groaned loudly.

"Too bright…" the tall, pink-haired boy whimpered, covering his eyes with his hands. With a nod from the taller brunette, the kid dimmed the lights in the room, allowing the pink-haired male to open his eyes. "Where…where am I?"

"You're in your rooms at the Warden HQ." the tall brunette answered, "You two have been unconscious for a few hours."

"Captain?" Roland jolted slightly, suddenly aware of the authority figure.

"Wh-What happened…?" the pink-haired make asked, trying to sit up, only to fall back onto the bed, gasping from dizziness.

"Take it easy, Nate!" Penny whispered to him, eyes shining with concern as she helped him and Roland sit up.

"The shock of using a collapsing time gate caused your neural connections to experience a temporary overload." the small green-haired boy answered. At the confused looks he received, he simplified, "Or, to put it another way, you fainted." He smiled reassuringly. "The good news is that you should make a full recovery."

"It also seems that all the vivosaurs have returned to normal." Captain Stryker added, "I don't know how you managed to stop Dr. Blackraven, but we all owe you a great deal."

"We only managed because of Tria and Nibbles." Roland replied, "They're the real heroes here."

"Speaking of which, where are they?" Nate wondered, looking at Penny, "Are they sleeping in your room, Penny?"

Penny bit her lip and looked at the floor, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes again. The green-haired boy whimpered.

"Ah, yes. About that…" he said, trying to sound mature and professional, but he choked on his words, trying desperately not to break down.

"Professor…" Captain Stryker said to the boy, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

"Where are they?!" Roland exclaimed, starting to panic.

"They are okay, right?!" Nate asked urgently. Penny put her hand over her mouth, muffling her sobs even as tears fell from her eyes.

Captain Stryker, the most professional person in the room, answered, "According to your Bone Buggies, Tria and Nibbles pushed you two through the time gate. However, in doing so, it seems that they were left behind." He lowered his head, his hair hiding the grief in his eyes. "I'm sorry…I truly am."

"What?! Tria and Nibbles were left in the ancient world?!" Nate screamed.

"We have to go back for them!" Roland declared.

"You can't do that." Professor Little whimpered, clutching the Captain's arm, "Your journey to the past used up all the remaining Cosmonium on the planet. That means we can't open a new time gate. A rescue mission is impossible." A tear finally escaped his eye, and he sobbed into the Captain's jacket.

"You've all done a great service to the Fossil Parks and the world." Captain Stryker said as he picked up the sobbing child-professor, "I'm just sorry the price was so high."

He then left the room, leaving the three Asian Wardens to grieve. Nate, Penny, and Roland all looked at each other, still not quite able to comprehend what they had just been told. All three sat on Roland's bed, silent as the news sank in.

"Tria's…gone…" Roland muttered. He was still trying to imagine life in the Fossil Parks without the strong, fearless, yet kind and understanding Warden.

"She's…not coming back…" Penny continued, whimpering as she thought about how empty her room was going to feel without her friend and roommate.

"And it's all our fault!" Nate sobbing, burying his face in the sheet of his roommate's bed, "If we hadn't been hit by those stupid rocks, Tria wouldn't have had to push us through, and she would've been able to make it!"

"Technically…" Penny mumbled, gently stroking Nate's back as she gripped Roland's hand, "Tria only pushed Roland through. Nibbles was the one who saved you."

Nate looked up at the blond girl, eyes wide as saucers. "Th-The can-chomper? HE saved me?" When Penny nodded, Nate collapsed back onto the bed, too much in shock to continue sobbing. Roland wrapped on arm around both of his friends, pulling them to him as they sought each other's comfort.

"None of that matters now." he said to them, voice just barely above a whisper, "Tria and Nibbles are gone, and there's nothing we can do about it…" He then broke down, sobbing along with his comrades, mourning the loss of a valuable friend and her companion, who had only just begun to warm up to them.


	30. It's not over

A week after the team's trip to the ancient past, the Fossil Parks went about their usual business. Or, at least, they tried to. The world may have been saved, but the mood of the people, and the vivosaurs, suggested otherwise.

After Captain Stryker had announced to the Wardens of the Fossil Parks the news of Tria and Nibbles' fate, all of the Parks went into a state of mourning. Asia was hit the hardest. The three Asian Wardens who had graduated with Tria, two of whom she had saved from meeting the same fate she did, stuck close together at all times. Nate and Roland were overcome with grief, for they blamed themselves for Tria's sacrifice, and Penny had brought her mattress into their room and had taken to sleeping there, unable to cope with her roommate's absence. Mei Lian, one of the veteran Wardens who had grown closest to Tria, spent her days training at the peak of the Xuan Wu mountain in Lantern Lake, where she and Tria had first battled. She and her V-raptor attacked every fighter and vivosaur they saw and, when they ran out of those, resorted to striking rocks, but it was all in vain, and she still cried herself to sleep every night, longing for the Paleo Pal she'd become so fond of. At the top of the cliffs of the Autumn Garden, Hanzo watched the perpetual sunrise, trying to find peace in the beauty of the site he'd grown up in, trained in, and first worked with Tria in. Liu Ren, leader of Fossil Park Asia, maintained his composure as he attempted to console the Wardens under him. However, he still grieved silently, recognizing the promise and potential now lost to them all.

In Fossil Park America, the flashing lights didn't seem to hold their usual energy. The leader, Sean, hadn't so much as cracked a smile since he'd received the news of the loss of Tria. He stood at the window of his office, looking out over the city lights as he always did when he was upset. By the large T-rex head fossil next to the window stood Sean's sister, Becky, who just stared at it, tears at the corners of her eyes. They both owed a great deal to Tria, who had not only saved the world, but had also freed Sean from the burden of his past defeat as a masked fighter, allowing him to return to the Stadium. They both owed her, and now they couldn't ever repay her. The grief that thought caused was nearly unbearable. Meanwhile, Leon, the lone wolf of the Wardens, became cold and distant, refusing to even speak to anyone. He followed his orders, hunting for the BR Brigade, but he always went alone, his silence the only way he could hide his utter despair at losing the one person he could truly open up to. The psychic wonder, Lucky, had holed himself up in his room the moment he'd heard Tria wouldn't be coming back, sobbing and buckling under the intense weight of the guilt he felt, for he had, just before Tria had left on her mission to the ancient past, wished to never see her again. He had planned to apologize and make amends for his harsh words, but it was too late, and he had lost his chance. That thought was too much for the young boy to bear, and he buried himself in his covers in an attempt to escape from the harsh reality before him.

In Fossil Park Europe, the Frozen Wastes had to be closed again, this time because of Park leader Drake's rampaging. His sorrow had quickly turned into an uncontrollable rage that caused everything around him to flee in terror. When he wasn't rampaging, he was quieter and more timid than usual, jumping and hiding at the slightest provocation. His voice was little more than a whimper. The Park's resident witch, meanwhile, spent hours with her crystal ball, trying to contact Tria's spirit, to no avail. She rarely ever left her dimly-lit room, insisting on putting all the energy she could spare into listening for so much as a whisper of Tria's voice. And the fastest Warden in all the Fossil Parks had finally had enough.

"THERE you all are!" Dahlia addressed the group of graduates that had gathered in the lobby of Fossil Park Europe.

"Of course we're all here." Penny said, looking confused, "You're the one who called us here."

"What's this about, Dahlia?" Roland asked. None of the Asian graduates had ever been called to Europe before, so this was new to them. The only one of the group besides Dahlia who was familiar with the European Fossil Park was Leon, and he still refused to speak.

"There's some kind of emergency here!" the redhead declared, causing the group to jolt, "And I need all of you to help me! So come on already! We have to get moving!"

The group looked at each other. They'd gone on missions searching for the BR Brigade, but all of those had ended in failure and they were finding it difficult to get motivated. Still, the look of determination in the gearhead's eyes told them that refusal wasn't an option, so they reluctantly agreed. Dahlia led them to the Garage, explaining as she went.

"All right, I'll say this plain and simple…the fate of the world depends on the mission I've been given, but there's no way I'll be able to pull it off by myself. We're heading to the dig site known as Frozen Wastes!"

"The Frozen Wastes? Isn't that where your leader goes to rampage?" Nate asked, gulping in fright. Dahlia waved her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, but don't worry, he's in his office right now. I checked."

"You checked?" Penny asked.

"If you had to check where your leader was, then who gave you the mission?" Roland asked, also getting suspicious. Dahlia looked at the group hesitantly before hurrying them into the Garage and through the portal into the Frozen Wastes.

"Here's the thing…" Dahlia continued as the group drove through the deserted dig site, "We've heard rumors of a strange fossil located deep inside this dig site. Apparently, it's so incredibly dangerous, it could tear the world asunder! So that's why we need to find it before anyone else does! It's do-or-die time, and I don't plan on dying anytime soon!"

"Unlike Tria…" Nate muttered. The group became solemn. Dahlia groaned in frustration, continuing to lead her friends through the frozen dig site.

Soon, they reached a place near the mountain at the end of the dig site. They approached the side of the mountain, ignoring the rogue Lexo cowering in a nearby cave.

"This must be the place." Dahlia said, "Now let's find that fossil!"

"Um, Dahlia?" Penny piped up, "What's this fossil supposed to look like?"

Dahlia jolted, looking startled. "Oh, it's…um…" she trailed off, thinking as the group looked at her expectantly, "You'll know it when you see it!"

The Asian Wardens glanced at each other uncertainly before shrugging and scanning the wall with their sonars. Dahlia then glanced away from the group of three to see Leon's purple Turf Shredder facing a specific spot on the wall. Leon was staring up at it.

"Whatcha got there, Leon?" she asked, driving up to him.

"…" Leon said nothing, simply scanning the wall again. Dahlia did the same.

"Hey, guys! Over here! Leon's found something!" she called to the others, and they gathered around the other two, facing the same spot on the wall as they began to excavate the strange fossil.

"Oh, and be careful!" Dahlia called to them, "It's been known to explode without warning!"

"What?!" Roland exclaimed.

"Say something sooner!" Nate screamed, his digging equipment trembling as he shook with fear.

"Careful Nate! If you damage it, it might explode!" Penny cried nervously.

"…" Leon stared at the fossil, his face devoid of any emotion as he dug it out the rest of the way. As he extracted it, Dahlia cheered.

"All right! Way to go, guys! Now let's get out of here before our luck slips a gear or something!"

Back in the Fossil Park, Dahlia grinned happily at the group. "Phew! That was a close one. And the world is safe once more, thanks to our brave heroes!" she said, before getting serious, "But this is no time to rest on laurels, whatever those are! There's a lot more evil out there, and we're gonna have to work together to find it and snuff it out for-" She was cut off when three men showed up and approached her, smiling.

"Hey, Big Mama!" one of them called, "How'd your plan turn out?"

The group looked at Dahlia as she glanced between them and the three men, who were the former members of the Speed Fiends, the gang she'd led before Tria disbanded it. The fact that she was the leader was supposed to remain a secret between her, Tria, and Leon, and luckily for her, the other Wardens were too focused on what her 'plan' was to notice their title for her. She gave her former lackeys an urgent look and made a 'zip-it' gesture, but they didn't seem to understand.

"Remember? The plan? The secret plan?" another said, "The one where you go on a fake mission to make your depressed friends feel better about everything and stop being sad? THAT plan? How'd it turn out?"

The other Wardens narrowed their eyes at Dahlia, who sweatdropped, looking at her friends before glaring at the men.

"SHUT UP, YOU BRAINLESS WONDERS!" she roared, "Can't you see my depressed friends are standing right here and can hear everything we're-" She stalked up to them threateningly. "Okay, that's it! You're all goin' down!"

The men screamed in terror, fleeing behind the Fossil Center. Dahlia didn't pursue them, simply standing there and clenching her fists. "Man…it was such a good plan, too!" she growled. She then looked back at the group, one of them glaring at her, one looking hurt, the other two confused. She sighed.

"Fine, okay? I…kinda, sorta lied to you about the world being in danger." she admitted, "But I had to do something to stop y'all from moping around for the rest of your lives!"

"We're grieving!" Penny argued, "We lost Tria AND Nibbles! You can't blame us for being depressed!"

"I know losing Tria has been hard on you all." Dahlia replied, "It's been hard on all of us!"

"Is that so?" a cold, furious voice snarled. The group jumped, startled by the first words Leon had spoken in a week. He glared at the redhead. "If you really do feel the pain of losing Tria, the why aren't you grieving like the rest of us?" He narrowed his eyes, his hateful gaze locked with Dahlia's dark orange eyes. "Why the hell are you so fucking happy?!"

Dahlia glared at the taller make, her clenched fists turning white as she yelled, "Because this isn't what Tria would've wanted!"

The group all stepped back, expressions morphing from hurt and angry to shocked. Even Leon's eyes widened and lost their hateful glare. Dahlia stared at the ground as she continued, a tear escaping her eye.

"I cared so much for Tria. She was the best friend I've ever had." she whimpered, sniffling as her body trembled, "When I'd heard she had gotten trapped in the ancient past and wouldn't be coming back, I felt as if my whole world had shattered. I cried for days on end, and I felt like my grief was crushing me. But then yesterday while I was driving around Yodel Hills, I realized something…" She looked up at all of them, tears running down her face even as her eyes hardened with determination. "I realized that, if Tria were still here, she wouldn't want us to spend all our time brooding over how much we miss her. She'd want us to continue our duties as Wardens and look after the Fossil Parks she d-" Dahlia choked on the sob that came with the word. "-died protecting." More sobs escaped the girl's mouth as she fell to her knees, her grief finally bringing her down. "I just…don't want her sacrifice to be in vain. I want her to know she left the Fossil Parks in good hands."

The other graduates looked at each other, trying to process everything the gearhead had told them. Penny knelt beside her partner for the Warden Test, embracing her as Tria had done with Penny shortly after the Gorgo attack.

"Thanks, Dahlia." the blond girl said gently, "You went to all this trouble to cheer us up, even though you're hurting just as much as we are."

"You're right." Leon admitted, also kneeling and resting a hand on the sobbing redhead's back, "We were so focused on how we were feeling, we didn't even think about what Tria would've wanted."

"Yeah." Roland said, actually managing a small smile, "We need to pull ourselves together and protect the Parks, just like Tria did!"

"That's right!" Nate added, some hope and joy returning to his voice.

"Wait…" Dahlia questioned, looking up from Penny's shoulder, "Are those smiles? Did my super-top-secret plan actually work?!" She sat up, grinning. "Yes! I'm the BEST!"

The group laughed softly, taking comfort in each other's company. Dahlia then picked up the fossil they had excavated, examining it closely.

"This fossil we found actually is kinda weird, though." she said, turning it over in her hands. The group gave her some confused looks.

"Wait, you didn't plant that?" Leon asked.

"Nope!" Dahlia replied, "I just happened to hear someone mention it."

"Maybe it's some kind of ammonite?" Roland suggested.

"It looks kinda familiar…: Nate muttered, more to himself than to the group, "Almost like a part of…"

"A Bone Buggy!" Dahlia exclaimed, and everyone gasped in shock, "Holy backfires! THAT'S why it's familiar! This is part of a Bone Buggy!"

"Are you sure?" Leon asked, a mixture of awe and skepticism in his voice.

"Heck yeah, I'm sure!" Dahlia insisted, "See? This here is a spring, and that little doodad is part of a shock absorber!"

"But how would a Bone Buggy part get fossilized?" Penny asked what everyone was thinking, "It would have to be millions of years old!"

"Wait…" Roland mumbled, eyes widening in realization, "Our Bone Buggies broke down when we went into the past! It was the reason Tria-" He swallowed the tears that threatened to escape at the mention of Tria, "-had to push us through the time gate. What if, when we were hit by those rocks…"

"Some of our Bone Buggies' parts were left behind and got fossilized!" Nate exclaimed. His eyes then grew into saucers as he gasped, "And if this got fossilized, then maybe something else became a fossil, too!"

"What are you talking about, Nate?" Roland asked, confused. Nate looked around at his friends, a look thoughtful contemplation on his face. They could almost see the gears turning in his head as he nodded to himself.

"Penny, Roland. We need to go talk to Professor Boring." he said, turning to the other two Wardens, "Leon. Do you know where a guy named Dr. Digmore works? He's supposed to work in America."

"Dr. Digmore?" Leon asked, thinking for a few seconds before replying, "Yeah. I've had to bail him out of trouble a few times."

"I need you and Dahlia to get him and bring him to Warden HQ." Nate said, "Tell him to bring the Dinodisc with him."

"Dinodisc?" Leon asked, confused.

"All right! Let's go!" Dahlia agreed, dragging the protesting Leon through the World Gate.

As the Asian Wardens returned to their station, Penny asked, "All right, Nate. What's going on?"

Nate looked at them. "A little while ago, Tria and I went on a mission to save this nerdy guy from rogue vivosaurs. He then had us dig up what looked like a fossilized Dino Gear. We didn't know what it was, but Tria and Nibbles freaked out when they got near it."

Penny and Roland's eyes widened. "Do you think that Dino Gear might be…?" the blond girl asked breathlessly.

"One way to find out." Nate replied as they entered Professor Little's lab and explained the situation to him.

"A fossilized Dino Gear?" he repeated once they'd completed their explanation, "Oh my, yes. That certainly is a stunning theory." He then started messing with some of the revival machinery. "I'll have to make some minor adjustments. Recalibrate the mainframe and upload to the Oort cloud…" he trailed off, his words fading into incoherent mumbles, before addressing the group, "But yes, I think it may be possible to bring Nibbles back to life!"

Just then, Leon and Dahlia entered with Dr. Digmore. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" Dahlia announced, not really an apology. The archaeologist adjusted his glasses, looking flustered.

"Good heavens! This young lady certainly is quite the firecracker!" he exclaimed, "She threw me into her Bone Buggy and drove here like a madwoman! I'm frankly amazed I survived the ordeal!"

"The Dinodisc." Nate said impatiently, "Do you still have it?"

"Of course." Dr. Digmore replied, handing Nate the Dino Gear, "Leon explained the situation to me on the way here. You have my condolences."

The Wardens just nodded as Nate handed the Professor Nibbles' Dino Gear. As the child scientist began the revival process, Penny noticed another American visitor, who was clinging tightly to Leon's arm.

"Lucky? Is that you?" she asked, making everyone's eyes turn to the young psychic boy, who hid himself behind his idol, "What are you doing here?"

Lucky sniffled, huddling closer to Leon as he looked at the floor. "I…" he whimpered, "I…don't want to be alone…"

"Lucky here blames himself for Tria's sacrifice." Leon said, surprisingly gentle as he stroked the boy's hair, "Apparently they'd had a fight shortly before she left, and he'd said some things he regrets."

Everyone looked at the boy again, who was now sobbing into Leon's side. Penny walked over and knelt in front of him, smiling warmly.

"It's not your fault, Lucky." she said kindly to him, "Tria was lost protecting the Fossil Parks. She was fulfilling her duty as a Warden. There's nothing any of us could've done."

The young boy looked into the girl's misty eyes and nodded, wiping away his tears as best he could. They all looked up when they heard the Professor's cry of "Eureka!" He walked over to Nate, handing him the Dino Gear, which was now a bright shade of red. "I've done it! The Dino Gear has been successfully revived! In theory, we should be able to transform it back into a vivosaur."

"Let's see if it really works!" Dahlia yelled impatiently, "Throw it, Nate!"

"All right! All right!" Nate yelled, taking a deep breath before throwing the Dino Gear into the air. A flash of light temporarily blinded the group, and when they opened their eyes, there stood Nibbles, the little vivosaur partner of Tria.

"Gruh?" he yawned, looking around in disoriented confusion.

"Nibbles!" Penny cried happily, hugging the little vivosaur before anyone could stop her, "You're back!"

Nibbles looked at the excited blond, then at all the other smiling humans, and growled again, a questioning tone in the sound.

"You're…looking for Tria, aren't you?" Roland asked, and everyone's faces fell, none of them meeting Nibbles' eyes.

"Well, you see…" Little muttered, tears entering his eyes. Lucky tightened his grip on Leon.

"We found your fossilized Dino Gear, so we were able to bring you back." Penny explained, "But…"

"We don't have a way to bring Tria back." Dahlia said sadly, "So…"

"She's still gone." Leon finished, his sorrow nearly overpowering as he rubbed Lucky's back comfortingly.

Nibbles looked around at the humans, at all the sadness around him, and reacted in a way they were not expecting. He snorted in annoyance and ran to the door, stopping at it and making gestures with his head.

"What is it, Nibbles?" Penny asked, confused.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Professor Little suggested. The group followed the vivosaur into the lobby, where they were met by the Captain himself.

"Hello everyone." he greeted his subordinates, "What's all this commotion about?" He then looked at the doors leading out of the Fossil Center and his eyes went wide. "Is that Nibbles?!"

"We found his fossilized Dino Gear and revived him." Penny explained, "And now he's trying to lead us somewhere."

"I see." Captain Stryker mumbled, "Well what are we waiting for? Let's follow him!"

"Yes sir!" everyone chorused back as they followed Nibbles into the Garage and through the portal that led to Lantern Lake. He ran over the bridge, surprisingly managing to stay ahead of the Bone Buggies following him. By the time he stopped, they were right in front of the cliff face from which his Dino Gear had been excavated.

"Hey, isn't this where we found his Dino Gear?" Nate asked Dr. Digmore.

"Why, yes it is." The archaeologist replied, "But why would he lead us here?"

"Hang on." Professor Little said from Captain Stryker's Bone Buggy, "Something seems off about Nibbles."

Nibbles growled, trembling as his body started glowing. As the group watched in awe, the small vivosaur transformed again. This time, he resembled a therazinosaur, with a relatively small head, a long neck, and two long claws on his arms. His red body had a metallic gleam, with teal gems on each side of his neck. His stomach and lower jaw were silver, and he had six large silver spines rising from his back. He roared, facing the Wardens.

"Whoa…" Roland gasped.

"He evolved again!" Nate yelled, his voice hopeful, "Maybe he's lost his taste for hindquarters!"

"He looks REALLY COOL!" Professor Little exclaimed before adding sheepishly, "Er, scientifically speaking."

"What's he doing?" Dahlia wondered out loud as Nibbles turned back around, growling at the cliff before using his massive claws to dig into it.

"Hey! What are you doing, Nibbles?" Penny called to the transforming vivosaur. He ignored her, continuing to dig into the cliff.

"Wait a minute…" Captain Stryker muttered, his tone contemplative, "Nate!"

The pink-haired boy jumped. "Y-Yes sir?"

"When you and Dr. Digmore found Nibbles' Dino Gear buried here, Tria and Nibbles were with you, correct?"

"Um, that's right." Nate replied, unsure of where the Captain was going with this.

"And I seem to recall, from your report, that both Tria and Nibbles showed signs of distress when they got near it, correct?"

"Yes sir." Nate answered, "They both freaked out when it was extracted, so much that they fled the dig site. I had to call Tria three times before she even responded!"

"Hm. I wonder…" Captain Stryker mumbled to himself before asking, "Professor, what would be the effect of someone being in two places at the same time?"

"Two places at the same time?!" Professor Little exclaimed, before thinking, "Well, it's never happened before, so I can't say for certain, but in theory, it would cause a strain on the individual, due to-"

"Yes, thank you, Professor." the Captain interrupted before the young genius could start another scientific ramble. He then touched his fingers to his chin, his thoughtful expression back in place. "Then if Nibbles was reacting to being in close proximity to his Dino Gear, what was Tria reacting to? Unless…" Captain Stryker gasped in shock as a look of disbelieving realization crossed his face. He commanded, "Dr. Digmore! Your sonar is the strongest here; please scan the wall! Focus on the spot where Nibbles is digging!"

"What?!" Dr. Digmore looked at the Captain in confusion and hesitation. He clearly didn't like the idea of getting near the large vivosaur. However, in the face of the authoritative glare the Captain was giving him, he relented, "All right. If you say so…"

The archaeologist drove his Heavy Hauler up to where Nibbles was digging, looking up at the massive vivosaur. To everyone's surprise, Nibbles stepped back, giving the Bone Buggy space to work. Dr. Digmore activated his sonar, scanning the cliff.

"Frankly, I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish." he said as he searched, "I've already scanned this area thoroughly. There's nothing…" He then paused, looking closely at a part of the rock he'd just scanned, his eyes narrowing before going wide as he exclaimed, "Good heavens!"

"What? What is it?" Nate asked, startled, "Did you find something else?"

"Indeed I did!" the man replied, "There's a slab of rock in here, separate from the rest of the mountain!"

"So?" Dahlia asked impatiently, "Nibbles was searching for a rock?"

"Tell me something." Dr. Digmore said, addressing the whole group, "About how tall was Tria?"

Everyone glanced at each other in confusion. "About 5 feet and 5 inches, if memory serves." Professor Little supplied.

"That's very interesting." Dr. Digmore said, already starting to dig up the mysterious find, "Because that's about how long this slab of rock is. And its width is about that of an average human body."

"WHAT?!" the entire group, except the Captain and the archaeologist, practically screamed.

"B-But…that's impossible…" Roland stuttered.

"Fossilizing a Dino Gear is one thing…" Leon added, "But an entire human body can't fossilize, can it? And even if it could, there's no way she'd still be…"

"One way to find out." Dr. Digmore said, "Let's head back to the Professor's lab." Everyone agreed, returning to the Fossil Center.

Back in the lab, which Yamamoto had been tending, they set the eerily human-shaped rock near the revival machinery.

"Hey, guys. I heard Nibbles was revived?" Yamamoto greeted the group, spotting the little vivosaur a second later, "Hey there, my friend. I'm glad we at least got you back."

Nibbles disregarded the lab assistant, simply standing in front of the mysterious rock, watching it as if expecting it to do something.

"This layer of rock seems to be covering something." Dr. Digmore observed, "If we can clean this off, maybe we'll know why Nibbles is so fixated on it."

"Leave it to me." Professor Little announced, tapping a few keys in one of his computers, "This machine is only used for excavating fragile specimens. It can clean something flawlessly, without putting so much as a scratch on it."

The group watched in tense anticipation as the Pin-Point Cleaner slowly used the drills to chip away at the rock. They gradually revealed a stone-gray body: legs with pants and shoes, a torso with a multi-shaded shirt, arms crossed over the chest, and finally, the pony-tailed head and a face that looked like it was sleeping. Everyone recognized the figure instantly.

"It's…" Roland muttered, not daring to believe it.

"It's Tria!" Dahlia exclaimed.

"Did that biter carve a statue of her or something?" Nate asked, looking at Nibbles in confusion.

"That's one detailed statue." Leon mumbled. Lucky gripped his arm.

The Captain chuckled softly, catching everyone's attention as he whispered, "I should've known you wouldn't leave us so easily."

"What are you saying, Captain?" Professor Little asked, "You can't honestly think that…"

The Captain shook his head. "I don't know how she managed it." he said simply, "But I do know one thing. That's no statue."

Everyone stared wide-eyed and disbelieving as the statue of Tria began to glow. Color returned to the gray stone as it softened. Light gray skin became a light tan, dark gray hair returned to its normal dark blue with its red ribbon. The clothes returned to their normal shades of black and pink.

Then the truly impossible happened. Her arms, which had been frozen in the place crossed over her chest, fell to her side. The girl swayed, as if struggling to maintain balance, and then yawned, just as Nibbles had done when he had first been revived. Hesitantly, blinded by the bright lights of the lab, the bravest and most selfless of all the Wardens opened her eyes, looking around at the shocked faces of all her friends until a soft, affectionate growl made her look down at her feet.

"Nibbles…" Tria mumbled as she fell to her knees, "I missed you, buddy."

"Grr!" Nibbles cheered, pouncing on his Warden partner as she embraced him. She then looked up at the humans around her, all of whom were either in tears or close to it. She stood up and faced her friends.

"What's wrong, guys?" she asked, looking around until she identified her teammates, "Nate. Roland. You made it back. I'm glad."

The group stared at the girl in shock. They had already thought her lost, dead somewhere in the ancient past, and yet here she was, standing before them, talking to them, just as she always had. They still couldn't quite believe it, especially after only just accepting that she was gone. Tria tilted her head in confusion.

"Why are all of you staring at me?" she asked, walking up to them and waving her hand in front of them, "Hello? Anyone home?"

"T-T-Tria…?" Roland stuttered.

"I-Is that…really you?" Nate asked.

Tria looked at herself as she flexed her arms, legs, and twisted around to look at her torso before replying, "As far as I know."

"You're…alive…?" Leon's voice was little more than a whisper.

The girl turned to the lone wolf, who she had managed to train into a pack leader. "Kinda hard to move around if I wasn't." she countered, her hands on her hips.

"You…came back to us?" Penny squeaked, not seeming to notice the liquid flowing from her eyes.

"Where else would I go?" Tria asked, looking at her roommate. She was then almost tackled to the floor by the first person to snap out of her daze.

"Tria!" Dahlia cried, "It's you! I can't believe it! It's really you!" She held the other girl at arm's length. "Look at you. It's as if you were never gone. Tria…" Tears streamed down her face even as she grinned. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks, Dahlia." Tria said, smiling as well as she embraced the redhead, "It's good to be back."

That snapped everyone else out of their stupors, and they too pounced on the revived Warden, nearly smothering her in a group hug as they all cried at their friend's return. Tria greeted all of them, smiling with the joy of being reunited with the people closest to her. She then looked over and saw the small form of Lucky standing in the corner, crying alone. She gently pushed her way out of the tangle of arms her friends had formed and walked over to the young boy, kneeling in front of him. At first, he refused to meet her eyes, but when he finally did, he saw her smiling kindly at him. Without a word, Tria opened her arms, silently offering him her friendship. Lucky stared at her for a few seconds before jumping into her arms, sobbing as he apologized to her over and over again. The older girl cradled her young friend in her arms, assuring him that she wasn't angry and that she was sorry, too.

Over them all, the Captain, Professor, lab assistant, and archaeologist watched the spectacle, smiling with the knowledge that everything was right again with the Fossil Parks, now that Tria had returned to them, alive.


	31. The Wardens Cup

A few days after Nibbles and I were revived, and the Fossil Parks had returned to business as usual. The night of my return, all of the Wardens, as well as some others I had assisted in some way, gathered at Warden HQ in celebration. Sean and Becky were grinning, apparently for the first time since my disappearance, and their smiles lit up the room. Liu Ren and Hanzo had to pry Mei Lian off of me. She had become very possessive since my return. I think she missed me. Even Drake and Violet showed up, Violet telling me how she'd predicted my revival and Drake overcoming his nervousness at being in a large crowd to see me, the only person who could handle his true personality without being afraid.

Once everyone had settled down and I had been reintegrated, Captain Stryker called the three leaders to his office, where they were joined by me, Nibbles, and Professor Little.

"As you all know, Tria and Nibbles have been returned to us. For that, we are grateful, and I am pleased to welcome you two back into the Wardens." Stryker said, smiling at me. The Professor and three Fossil Park leaders all nodded and spoke words of agreement, with Sean patting my back a little harder than necessary, and I smiled at all of them in return.

"And that's not the only piece of good news I have to share." Stryker continued, and we all looked back at him, "I just received word that we were able to capture Dr. Baron von Blackraven!"

We all gasped. "Truly, Captain?" Liu Ren asked, not quite daring to believe it.

"Ha ha! I knew that rapscallion wouldn't escape justice forever!" Sean laughed joyfully.

"Indeed." Stryker agreed, nodding, "And with him out of the picture, it should only a matter of time before we pick up his lieutenants. We're not out of the woods yet, but we can certainly see the path."

"That seemed a little too easy…" I muttered to myself. Nibbles sighed in grim agreement. None of the humans heard me.

"That's why I've gathered all of you here." he said, "In honor of the hard work of Wardens all across world…I'm going to hold a special tournament right here in Fossil Park Asia! It'll be called the Wardens Cup!"

We all gasped again, for a different reason.

"Wh-Whoa…" Drake whispered.

Stryker nodded. "I want each branch to recruit its finest Fossil Fighters and break them into teams. We'll have a tournament for the ages!"

"This is a fine idea. I'm sure we could all use a distraction after the recent events." Liu Ren agreed with the Captain, squeezing my shoulder. I patted the Asian leader's hand comfortingly.

"I declare here and now that none will defeat the American Branch!" Sean proclaimed proudly, looking at all of us confidently.

"Oh really?" I asked, smirking at the grinning leader.

"Ha! Bold words! And yet we have our own fighters right here in Asia." Liu Ren replied, chuckling.

"Um…yeah." Drake muttered, almost looking conflicted between his nervous personality and his inner berserker, "We won't, um, lose."

I smiled at the shy viking, knowing he needed all the encouragement he could get, as Stryker gave his next orders.

"Please let everyone know as soon as you can." he ordered the three leaders, "Dismissed!"

After the three leaders left, still making friendly jabs at each other, I was left facing the Captain and the Professor.

"And that leaves you, Tria." Stryker addressed, "You, of course, will be expected to join this tournament as well."

"I wasn't expecting to be left out, Captain." I replied, "I'd be insulted if I was."

"And you won't be left out. What I wish to speak to you about is the team you'll be place on." Stryker told me, "The teams are being formed based on the branches to which the fighters are assigned. You aren't assigned to a specific branch, but rather to the Warden HQ itself."

"I see." I mumbled, finally seeing his point, "Which leaves me without a team."

"Not quite." Professor Little replied, walking up to me, "You do have a team. It's just one that doesn't usually battle in the field like the other Wardens."

I thought about what the boy had said, not quite understanding. I then saw the look in his eyes and the grin slowly spreading across the Captain's face, and my eyes became saucers.

"W-Wait…" I gasped, "I'm fighting with…?"

"Is that a problem?" Stryker asked, arching an eyebrow. I quickly shook my head.

"N-No, sir! Not at all! I just…wasn't expecting it." I replied hastily, bowing to both of them, "I'm honored, sir."

Stryker smiled as Little hugged me, as he'd been doing more frequently since my return (he'd also been coming to me for advice or companionship since I assured him that he wasn't boring).

"We all work directly for the Warden HQ. It's only natural for us to work together." the Captain said, "Though I can't say I blame you for being surprised. I don't usually enter tournaments."

"And most people don't even know I have a vivosaur!" Little added, laughing.

"But this is a special tournament." Stryker continued without missing a beat, "And especially with your return to us, which is nothing short of miraculous, we both would like nothing more than to fight by your side." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk as he locked eyes with me. "Does that sound agreeable to you?"

I felt Professor Little's arms tighten around me, and looked to see him gazing up at me pleadingly. I nodded, first to him and then to the Captain.

"Of course, sir." I replied without hesitation, and was rewarded with a smile from the Captain and a grin from the young Professor.

"Then we will see you in the Stadium." Stryker said, his indirect order not lost on me. I nodded, heading back to the elevator. I glanced back at them when the Captain added, "And by the way, keep this little arrangement a secret. We don't want to scare the other teams before the tournament even begins, do we?"

I grinned, bordering on sadistic. "Indeed not, Captain." And with that, I left, heading for the Fossil Stadium.

In the lobby of the Fossil Center, I was met with Penny, Nate, and Roland.

"Did you hear about the Wardens Cup?" Penny asked me excitedly.

"Yep." I replied, "I was there when it was first announced."

"I can't waaaait!" she squealed, bouncing around energetically.

"We're HQ's newest recruits, so they decided to make us a team! And we're not about to lose to you, Tria! Ha ha ha!" Nate laughed, grinning challengingly.

"We'll see about that, Nate!" I grinned back at the pink-haired male, who was finally starting to gain some confidence.

As Penny and Nate walked off toward the Stadium, Roland whispered to me, "To be honest, we were all hoping to be on your team." He then sighed. "Oh well. Good luck."

I patted the hefty boy's shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, Roland. You'll be fine."

He nodded looking at me curiously. "By the way, who exactly is on your team?"

I winked at him, my smile becoming sly. "You'll find out, if you manage to reach me."

That made Roland nervous, and he ran to join his team, tripping and rolling into them in the process. I giggled softly in amusement and Nibbles shook his head. I then saw Leon and Dahlia discussing the tournament near the reception desk. They looked up when they saw me approach.

"Finally! A chance to see which Warden is the best of the best!" Dahlia cheered, "Violet, Drake, and I are gonna be the entrants for the European team. I'm so excited! I'm CRAZY excited! If I was a car, I'd be in ninth gear!"

"Whoa! Settle down, Dahlia!" I called to the hyper girl, grabbing her shoulders in an attempt to hold her in place.

"I wanted to take everyone on solo, but they stuck me with Becky and Sean." Leon muttered sourly, only to shrink back from my glare.

"Don't start that up again, Leon!" I scolded him, "You can't take everyone on alone, and you know it!"

Leon huffed, looking away in denial, as Dahlia piped up.

"I'm guessing the team of HQ vets is the heavy hitter in this match, huh?"

"Yeah. Mei Lian, Liu Ren, and Hanzo on the same team? That's serious firepower." Leon admitted, looking at me seriously, "You better stay in this thing until you face me, Tria!"

"Oh, I will." I assured him, my sly smile returning, "My team won't be that easy to beat."

"Hey!" Dahlia cried suddenly, jumping in my face, "Who is your team, Tria? Come on! I gotta know!"

"I'm curious as well." Leon agreed, staring at me.

I grinned at them, putting my finger to my lips before leaving the Fossil Center, giggling. Leon and Dahlia looked at each other, Dahlia confused and Leon annoyed. As they also headed to the Stadium, I caught sight of a familiar head of silver in the parking lot, near the ramp that had launched me into the ancient past.

"Hey Elric!" I greeted my friend happily.

"Hello there, Tria." he replied, smiling, "You seem much happier now."

"Of course! There's a special tournament taking place. Everyone's psyched, and I'm feeling the energy!" I said happily, "Not to mention I've been asleep for over 100 million years and have energy to burn!"

"I see." Elric laughed at my happiness, "I was wondering how you planned to get back from the past, although I wasn't quite expecting a portable stone-sleep inducer."

I laughed too. "Professor Little's been having fun with that. It's like a new toy for him." My face then fell as I lowered my voice so that only Elric could hear me. "Besides, I want to enjoy being with my friends while I still can. I don't have much time left, as you of all people should know."

Elric sighed, sounding tired and sad. "I know. The final battle is fast approaching, although I wish with all my heart there was another way to go about it. The sorrow in the Fossil Parks was nearly unbearable when you were trapped in the ancient past and presumed dead. I don't even want to imagine what will happen once this battle ends."

"You don't have to stay and witness it, if you don't want to, you know." I informed the silver-haired male, "In fact, I don't know why you would." I then sighed too. "There's no other way. If there was, we wouldn't be doing what we are now." I embraced my friend, who embraced me in return. "So please, while it lasts, enjoy this cheerful atmosphere. Watch the tournament. We'll see this through to the end together, old friend."

Elric nodded, tightening his grip one last time before letting go. "I will, Tria. Now go. Your team is waiting for you. I look forward to an entertaining series of battles."

We both nodded to each other and, without another word, Nibbles and I finally entered the Fossil Stadium.

When I got to the back, I saw the Bone Buggies of all my friends sitting with their respective teams. The team of new Asian recruits was huddled together, likely strategizing. The Speed Demon of the European team couldn't keep still, and the Rock Crusher was practically trembling. The team of HQ veterans seemed pretty confident, their combined experience showing through. The calmest of the groups, surprisingly, was the American team, who just seemed happy to be there. I was looking for my team when I saw a brief flash of headlights in a darker area, and when I drove up to it, I saw Stryker's Digger's Rig. Shortly afterward, his and Professor Little's faces appeared on my screen.

"Greetings, Tria." Stryker said, "I see you're finally able to join us."

"Yeah, sorry about that." I apologized for my tardiness, "I had a brief meeting with an old friend."

Stryker just nodded. Little piped up, "Captain Stryker and I were discussing this tournament. To honor this Cup, we will be using our strongest vivosaurs. We suggest you do the same."

"My strongest vivosaur?" I asked, looking at the vivosaur sitting next to me, "You mean Nibbles?"

Both males smiled at me. "We thought it would be appropriate for the revived duo to participate in the Cup honoring them." Stryker said, smiling at me.

I blushed, averting my eyes in embarrassment. "I thought this Cup was for all Wardens."

"It is." Stryker replied, "But it was your and Nibbles' miraculous return that raised everyone's spirits enough to make this possible. So, in a sense, this is a tournament honoring you two."

Nibbles and I looked at each other, Nibbles nodding eagerly, and I nodded in return.

"Nibbles is ready. And so am I!" I told my teammates. They both smiled at me, looking up as we were called to the arena. As we faced off against the team of new Asian recruits, their faces appeared on my screen.

"Tria's team right off the bat?" Penny sighed, "Tough break for us, huh?"

"Not just Tria, but Captain Stryker, too?!" Roland exclaimed.

"Don't forget about me!" Professor Little piped up from his seat next to the Captain.

"We may be friends, Tria, and you may have the Captain and the Professor on your team!" Nate called to me, still hyped up on the energetic atmosphere, "But I'm not gonna make this easy! Give us all you got!"

"That's the plan!" I called back to him, nodding to Nibbles, who nodded back, jumping out of my Digger's Rig and transforming into the large therizinosaur form he had obtained through our training in the Cretaceous Period. Stryker sent out his Spino ST and Little sent out his vivosaur, who ironically was the largest on the field: Argento. Our opponents sent out their own team: Hypsi, Edapho, and Tricera.

Tricera wasted no time, charging at Nibbles with his horns pointed at the Fire-type's chest. However, his attack was interrupted by a large, powerful tail, throwing the Water-type herbivore back. The massive sauropod bellowed, shaking the ground as he stomped his feet, knocking the small Hypsi off balance.

"Edapho! Snapping Upper on Argento!" Nate yelled. The small Air-type vivosaur waddled over to the sauropod, grabbing onto his neck and throwing him upward, putting him into a weak stance.

"Nibbles! Leaping Claw!" I commanded. Nibbles growled, swatting the small sailed vivosaur away from his teammate. As Edapho and Tricera tried to regain their footing, Hypsi jumped in front of them, ready to protect her team.

"Hypsi! Soothing Song!" Penny ordered. Hypsi lifted her head and sang, her beautiful voice distracting Nibbles and Argento and giving Edapho and Tricera a chance to attack. However, as they charged, Spino ST ran forward, growling at our opponents.

"Spino ST! Daze Cannon!" Stryker's authoritative voice bellowed. Spino ST roared, his voice as powerful as his fighter's, as he fired a blast of white light at the three vivosaurs, throwing them all backward. As they struggled to their feet, swaying as the confusion took hold, Argento marched over to them.

"Argento! Summit Drain!" Professor Little commanded happily. The sauropod smirked at his opponents, absorbing some of their health into the mountain peaks on his back. "You want to finish this, Tria?"

"Sure thing!" I replied, "Nibbles! Saurus Fire!"

Nibbles growled, shooting an orb of red fire that consumed the opposing team, sending them back to their fighters.

"Ugh! We lost!" Penny cried, clenching her fists. She then smiled. "But it sure was fun!"

"Aw, man! And I had my heart set on the championship, too!" Nate sighed, "How frustrating!"

"Good luck in the next match, Tria, Captain, Professor!" Roland called happily, "We're rooting for you!"

"Thanks, guys! You all were great!" I complimented them, smiling as well. My team then returned to the waiting area to wait for out next match.

"This is so much fun!" Professor Little yelled joyfully, "I haven't had this much fun battling in ages!"

"That's because you haven't battled in ages." Stryker said, though he was smiling as well, "But I will agree with you there. This is fun!"

"I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves." I told them, petting Nibbles' head, "You don't seem to get a lot of time to relax."

"Neither do you, Tria." Stryker replied, "We all work directly for the Warden HQ, which is an all-consuming job." He chuckled, "That's just the price we pay for being the highest ranking Wardens."

"Yeah…" I sighed, before doing a double-take and staring at the Captain with wide, startled eyes, "Wait…highest ranking Warden?! Me?!"

"What rank did you think you had?" Stryker asked me, "You serve directly under me, as my emissary, and since I hold the top rank, you hold the second-highest position." At the glare from Professor Little, Stryker corrected, "Well, technically, you share the 'second-highest' position with Professor Little, since you both work directly under me." The Captain smirked when he saw my gawking expression. "Don't look so surprised, Tria. You've more than earned your rank."

"B-But I'm still new here!" I exclaimed, "I mean, I'm honored. Truly. But I'm still little more than a recruit. I haven't even been here a month yet!"

"That is true." Stryker replied, "But in that time, you've faced and captured a dangerous rogue vivosaur, later adding it to your team, before you were even licensed as a Warden, then you saved the psychic wonder of America, disbanded a gang in Europe, confronted the BR Brigade numerous times, helped gather Cosmonium and then traveled 100 million years in the past, got trapped there after saving your teammates, found a device that let you come back-"

"And provided me with hours of entertainment!" Professor Little interjected.

"And those are just your job-related accomplishments." Stryker continued, "You've also won the friendship, admiration, and trust of every Warden, and several others, and considering some of the people who work here, that's no small feat." I was about to protest that, but he interrupted me again. "Mei Lian doesn't get along with most people, due to her short temper and hyper-active personality, but she absolutely adores you. Hanzo and Violet are eccentric, but you've gotten along perfectly with them. You got Dahlia to return to her duties after she'd gone AWOL, and you've even gotten Leon to work with others, something that everyone thought was impossible."

"He's not that bad…" I argued half-heartedly, knowing it was futile.

"Even the leaders see you as their friend and equal, rather than their subordinate. And, if you'll recall, they have even obeyed your orders on occasion." Stryker concluded, "And that is why you hold the position of second-highest ranking Warden here, equal to the Professor and outranked only by me."

I was still somewhat shocked at this realization, but I didn't dwell on it too much, simply accepting the position with grace as we were called back onto the battlefield. There, we were faced with the European team.

"You couldn't have picked a worse day to go against us." Dahlia warned me, smirking confidently.

"This is our lucky day! For SURE this time!" Violet insisted, her confidence matching her teammate's.

"I WILL TURN YOU INTO SAUSAGE AND THEN SPREAD MUSTARD ALL OVER SAID SAUSAGE!" Drake roared, grinning maniacally as he entered battle mode, "NOW READY YOURSELF!"

"Bring it on!" I called back, showing no hesitation in the face of the confident team and the rampaging leader. Nibbles roared, adding to my own ferocity as he transformed.

"I see Drake's showing his true colors." Stryker said as he sent out Spino ST.

"It's been a while since I've seen him so happy." Little added, sending out Argento.

"This should be fun." I agreed with them as our team faced off against the European team: Pachy, Paraloph, and Ankylo BO.

Pachy charged at us, his impatience mirroring his fighter's. Spino ST swatted him away, only to be knocked to the ground by Ankylo BO. Ankylo BO was then sent flying by Argento's tail, but he just got right back up, bellowing angrily. Paraloph charged at Argento, her high-pitched whistle stunning the large sauropod, but a swipe from Nibbles' Leaping Claw stopped the herbivore in her tracks. She jumped back, avoiding the worst of the damage.

"Paraloph! Wrestler's Spirit!" Violet called to her vivosaur. Paraloph whistled as she hunkered down, raising her awareness of her opponents.

"Pachy! Middle Hook on Spino ST!" Dahlia ordered, her confidence and excitement still in high gear. Pachy screamed, charging at the large carnivore. Stryker smirked.

"Oh, I don't think so!" he laughed heartily, "Spino ST, Flash Fang!"

Spino ST grinned, flashing his glowing teeth as he bit down on the smaller vivosaur, throwing Pachy back to Dahlia as the Earth-type reverted back to a Dino Gear.

"Paraloph! Battering Ram!" Violet yelled. Paraloph whistled, enraged, as she set her enhanced sight on the Captain's signature vivosaur.

"Oh no you don't!" Professor Little yelled, "Argento! Tail Seige!"

Argento roared, slamming his massive tail into the charging herbivore, overwhelming her despite the elemental advantage in her favor. As she vanished in a flash of light, Ankylo BO unleashed a mighty call, the air in the Stadium trembling with violent power as his Solo Power activated.

"YES! THIS IS OUR FIGHT!" Drake roared gleefully, "ANKYLO BO! EARTH SHAKER! BRING THAT MOUNTAIN DOWN!"

Ankylo BO bellowed in sadistic agreement, leaping up higher and faster than an armored vivosaur should be able to. He brought his feet and clubbed tail down on Argento's back, bringing him down.

"Oh no!" Little cried, "Argento's been defeated!"

"Don't worry, Professor! We'll finish this!" I called back to the distressed boy.

"That's right!" Stryker agreed, "Spino ST! Terror Zone!"

Spino ST roared, releasing terrifying aura that caused many of the audience members to quake with fear. Even Nibbles looked uneasy. Drake and his vivosaur, however, were unfazed, their berserker nature leaving no room for fear.

"SCARED?! HAH!" Drake laughed psychotically, "ANKYLO BO! POISON CLUB!"

The armored herbivore roared, swinging his clubbed tail, coated with toxins, at the Neutral-type carnivore.

"Not so fast!" I yelled, "Nibbles! Saurus Assault!"

Nibbles roared back, rushing forward and striking Ankylo BO's stomach with his long claws, throwing him into the air. He then struck repeatedly at the unarmored skin of the herbivore's stomach and legs, the tough battle-scarred hide unable to protect him, and the herbivore simply disappeared in a flash of light, his battle experience letting him recognize his defeat.

"No way! How could we lose?!" Dahlia screamed in frustration.

"My fortune-telling was off the mark AGAIN?!" Violet cried. She then grinned. "But I had a GREAT time, so that's good, at least."

"You're as impressive as ever, Tria." Drake muttered, sounding satisfied, "Y-You beat my best…"

"You all fought well." I told them, smiling brightly. On my screen, I saw Dahlia grin back at me.

"You've got my support the rest of the way!" she declared, before playfully glaring at me, "But I'll never let you hear the end of it if you don't win it all!"

"You got it!" I called back to her as we drove back to the waiting area.

"They're a rather energetic bunch, aren't they?" Stryker said fondly.

"Considering what it takes to be Warden, that's probably a good thing." I replied, still smiling.

"And still as strong as ever." Little added, not taking his personal defeat too seriously.

"That's also a good thing." I said seriously, "With how hectic things are getting, we need all the strength and energy we can get."

Stryker and Little looked at each other grimly. "You're right. Even with Dr. Blackraven behind bars, his lieutenants are still out there, and they're dangerous, too." Stryker said.

"That's not what I meant…" I mumbled. Nibbles whined.

"What is it, Tria?" Little asked me. He and Stryker hadn't heard me.

"Nothing." I replied, looking at the entrance to the arena. "We're on." I would let them enjoy their perceived victory, at least until the end of the tournament.

"At last! Tria!" Mei Lian cheered as soon as we met her team in the arena, "I'm the one who's gonna win this time!"

"We'll see about that, Mei Lian!" I yelled back, her enthusiasm infectious.

"It's been a long time since we faced each other, Captain." Liu Ren said to Stryker.

"Behold the power of the ninja!" Hanzo declared as they sent out their team: V-raptor, Mihu, and Tarbo. We sent out our team and the battle began.

"V-raptor! Lunging Claw!" Mei Lian commanded, always the first to attack.

"Nibbles! Leaping Claw!" I ordered in response. Nibbles and V-raptor leapt at each other, their claws colliding with amazing force.

"Mihu! Dome Dash!" Hanzo yelled. The ceratopsian charged at Argento, his nose-blade cutting into the rock on the sauropod's back.

"Argento! Neck Breaker!" Professor Little commanded. Argento roared as he swatted the smaller vivosaur away.

"Spino ST! Flash Fang!" Stryker's authoritative voice boomed. Spino ST charged at Tarbo, mouth agape and glowing teeth bared.

"Tarbo! Shoulder Tackle!" Liu Ren said in calm retaliation. The Air-type carnivore roared, his and his fighter's experience showing through as he easily evaded Spino ST's attack and slammed into him, using his size to his advantage. The two titanic carnivores exchanged blows as they fought for dominance over the other. Tarbo's Deadly Fangs latched themselves onto Spino ST's neck, forcing him down, but Spino ST wasn't going down alone. Sinking his hand-claws into Tarbo's shoulder, he dragged him down too, both carnivores disappearing in a flash of light. The Captain and the leader's vivosaurs had taken each other out. The audience went wild.

Meanwhile, Mihu continued to charge at Argento, slashing at his mountainous opponent repeatedly, to little avail. Argento roared, enraged, as he reared up onto his hand legs, bringing them down on the small Neutral-type, driving him back to his fighter as he vanished as well.

Finally, the attention of the fighters and the audience turned to focus on the clashes between Nibbles and V-raptor. Both quick-moving vivosaurs repeatedly collided, neither willing to yield. Argento, knowing he'd be useless in this fight, stood back and watched the battle with interest. Both battling vivosaurs jumped back from their most recent collision, panting heavily.

"V-raptor! Raptor Shot!" Mei Lian commanded.

"Nibbles! Saurus Fire!" I ordered.

The two vivosaurs shot a blast of elemental energy at each other, the blasts colliding as the vivosaurs had done, the shock wave shaking the Stadium. Out of the dust cloud, V-raptor charged.

"V-raptor! Somersault Kick!" Mei Lian called her final command. V-raptor shrieked, striking Nibbles' stomach and forcing him into an upward stance. I smirked.

"Nibbles! Saurus Roll!" I ordered. Nibbles roared confidently, launching himself into a roll and slamming into V-raptor. The small Air-type vivosaur fell, finally succumbing to his opponent's onslaught. The audience cheered.

"I can't believe it! I lost AGAIN!" Mei Lian screamed, frustrated. She then sighed before smiling at me. "But it's not a tough loss to swallow. You're really strong, Tria." She then cheered, "I like you better than ever!"

"Uh…thanks, Mei Lian." I said, blushing at her choice of wording.

"I haven't worked up a sweat like that in ages." Liu Ren said, his breathing somewhat labored.

"Likewise, old friend." Stryker agreed.

"Very impressive, Professor." Hanzo said, "It appears my training is far from complete."

"You've gotten much stronger, Hanzo." Little replied, "You're managing to cut through Argento's armor now, and that's not easy!"

We all withdrew our teams, but we didn't return to the waiting area this time. The next battle was the final. Our opponents drove out to meet us.

"So you're our opponents for the finals, huh?" Sean said, not really asking. He grinned challengingly. "Get ready for a double dose of the Flying Smile Kid's aerial assassination! I'm comin' for ya!"

"I'm super excited about this!" Becky cheered optimistically, "There's no way we're gonna lose!"

"Getting you in the finals…" Leon said to me, "It's like a dream come true." He smiled at me before his gaze hardened in determination. "Give it your all, Tria!"

"You know it!" I yelled as we each sent out our teams: Nibbles, Spino ST, and Argento vs. Ptera, Nychus, and Big Allo. The vivosaurs all roared at each other, hyped for the tournament's final battle.

Nychus wasted no time jumping on Spino ST, digging his claws into the flanks of the larger carnivore. Spino ST roared angrily, unable to reach his agile attacker. Argento tried to help, but he was held fast by the powerful jaws of Big Allo. Nibbles swung his claws at the elusive flying Ptera, growling in frustration.

"Nice work, Nychus! Keep up the pressure!" Sean cheered for his vivosaur.

"This is bad…" Professor Little muttered, "Argento! Neck Breaker!"

Argento bellowed, slamming his neck on the ground in an attempt to shake off the large carnivore.

"Oh no you don't!" Becky yelled, "Big Allo! Rising Upper!"

Big Allo roared as he threw Argento upward, knocking him off balance.

"Now's my chance." I heard Leon mutter, "Ptera! Middle Spear!"

Ptera shrieked and dove at the large Earth-type vivosaur. Argento cried out in pain as he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Argento's down!" I yelled, growling in annoyance.

"Damn…" Stryker grunted as he saw how weak his own vivosaur had become, "Spino ST! Terror Zone!"

Spino ST roared angrily, the terrifying aura returning. Nychus jumped off and froze, paralyzed with fear. The paralysis only lasted a second, but a second was all his opponent needed.

"Death Drill ST!" Stryker commanded. Spino ST roared excitedly, lunging toward Nychus, slamming into him at full force, sending him back into his Dino Gear. Spino ST roared in victory, only to be brought down himself by Big Allo's Tail Strike.

"That's what you get for attacking my brother's vivosaur!" Becky called, grinning triumphantly. She then gasped when her vivosaur went down, disappearing the moment Nibbles' claws made contact with him.

"You shouldn't get cocky." I warned them, "As long as Nibbles and I still stand, this battle isn't over."

"My thoughts exactly!" Leon yelled, smirking at me, "And Ptera and I are still going strong! Ptera shrieked in agreement, hovering above Nibbles. "Ptera! Chaos Twister!"

Ptera screeched, flapping his wings and flying rapidly around my companion. The swirling wind began to confuse Nibbles, who swayed as dizziness began to set in.

"Don't give in, Nibbles!" I yelled, adding a slight growl to my voice that translated into human-speak as, " _Saurus Fire!_ "

Nibbles didn't hear my human words, but he did hear the command hidden beneath them. He opened his jaws, blasting the red-and-silver flames into the twister and turning the whole thing into a flaming cyclone, scorching Ptera in the process. As Ptera screeched in pain, falling to the ground as his wings became covered in burns, I called the battle's final command.

"Leaping Claw!" I yelled. Nibbles, shaking off his dizziness and confusion, roared and launched himself at his opponent, striking and sending him flying back to his fighter as a Dino Gear. The Stadium shook as the audience cheered, the deafening sound driving Nibbles back into his smaller form as he jumped into my Bone Buggy.

"We lost…" Becky mumbled, sounding disappointed.

Sean whistled. "I knew you were strong, but sheesh!"

"And I was two weeks from retirement…" Leon growled, sounding irritated. He then smiled at me. "Nice work, Tria."

"You all were great." I said as we all drove out of the arena, my words nearly drowned out by the thundering audience.

"Yay! We won!" Professor Little cheered, bouncing up and down happily, "Being able to put all of my effort into a battle made me feel like a kid again!" He then abruptly stopped himself, blushing and giggling sheepishly. "Er, but seeing as how I'm nearly 10 years old, I suppose I'm a bit advanced for such foolishness."

"Nonsense!" I said, ruffling the young boy's light green hair, "You're never too old to have fun!" I already knew his age. The Professor smiled up at me as the Captain laughed.

"It was a spectacular tournament. All the Wardens agree this was a competition they'll never forget." he said, chuckling, "Makes me glad I entered."

We all laughed, the cheerful atmosphere putting us all in a good mood. Stryker than stood up straighter.

"Anyway, we should get back to work." he said, "I have a new patrol I'd like-" The sound of an engine revving cut him off.

"What was that?!" Little cried, suddenly clinging to me.

"It sounds like a Bone Buggy, but…" Stryker muttered, before looking up and seeing what I had already noticed: a metal claw that, at some point during the tournament, had broken through the Stadium roof.

"Look out!" he yelled, grabbing me and the Professor and diving to the floor, out of the reach of the claw. It didn't matter; it wasn't after us.

"GRRR!" Nibbles screamed as the claw grabbed him, taking him away.

"Nibbles!" I yelled.

"That's Kowloon's Bone Buggy!" Stryker exclaimed.

"But why is he after Nibbles?!" Little cried.

"I think I know why." I growled, getting up and turning to my comrades, "And I think you do too."

The two males glanced at each other, but if they responded, I didn't hear them. I was already at the Garage, chasing Kowloon into Paradise Beach. In my rear-view mirror, I saw Stryker's Digger's Rig following me. I didn't slow down, and soon we cornered Kowloon at the edge of a cliff, with nothing but the ocean behind him.

"Give up, Kowloon! There's no escape!" Stryker yelled as he drove up beside me.

Kowloon laughed smugly. "Heh heh…no escape, eh? We'll see…"

Suddenly, the waves behind him parted and a huge black submarine rose out of the water. Stryker gasped in shock.

"Th-That's…the Black Whale!" he stuttered, trembling as his face paled.

"So long, fools!" Kowloon called, laughing as he blasted his Bone Buggy into the submarine. I looked to the Captain, but he looked like he was still in a daze.

"This isn't possible…" he muttered in disbelief, "We had it disassembled!"

Suddenly, a familiar laugh was heard over the sub's intercom.

"Looks like someone forgot to inform you that we'd built a second Black Whale." the voice said, tone bragging, "We've been retrofitting it at the bottom of the ocean, and now it's become the Neo Black Whale you see before you!" It laughed again. "You look surprised, Stryker. Were you not expecting to see me again?"

"Dr. Blackraven?!" Stryker exclaimed, "But…but how?! We captured you!"

"You know, for the Captain of the Wardens, you're shockingly naïve." I said disapprovingly. Right after I said that, he got a call from Professor Little.

"C-Captain Stryker! We just received an urgent message from San Freezin!" he reported, panicking, "The Dr. Blackraven we captured was a fake! It was a robot made to look like him!"

"WHAT?!" Stryker yelled, his expression a mixture of shock and anger. I sighed.

"I don't see how this is shocking to you, Captain." I growled, adding a slight sarcastic tone to his title, "Did you honestly think someone like Blackraven would be captured so easily?"

"Bwaaaa ha ha ha! It seems your subordinate is quicker at joining the understanding party as usual, old friend!" Blackraven laughed, "You'd do much better if you worked for me instead!"

"I'll pass, thanks." I snarled in annoyance, "I don't work with psychopaths."

"But why go to such lengths…" Stryker muttered, not seeming to hear my exchange with the madman.

Blackraven hummed, pretending to consider the question. "Hmm…perhaps I don't enjoy sitting in a prison cell. The food they serve there really IS disgusting, you know. Or perhaps I wanted you to let your guard down so I could retrieve my masterpiece!"

Stryker grimaced. "Then we were playing into your hands this whole time…"

Blackraven laughed. "Bravo, Stryker! Once again, you only need me to explain my plan in intricate detail before you solved it for yourself! Still, I SHOULD thank you for taking such good care of my little pet. With the advanced equipment on my Neo Black Whale, I'll finally be able to complete my ultimate dark vivosaur- the Dreadsaurus!" I heard Stryker's breath catch in his throat as Blackraven laughed again. "And then the world will call ME master! Bwa ha! Bwaaa ha ha ha!"

And with that, the Neo Black Whale disappeared beneath the waves, taking Nibbles with it. I growled, driving back to the Park. Stryker followed me, still spacing out as he kept mumbling to himself.

"How could I let this happen?"


	32. Seek the Neo Black Whale!

I sat in my room at Warden HQ, silently brooding. I knew this was going to happen. I knew the BR Brigade was going to come after Nibbles, and I still let my guard down! I snarled, a long string of ancient swear words leaving my mouth. I abruptly stopped the rumbling vibrations in my throat and looked up when Penny entered the room. She looked very upset.

"We've got a serious problem on our hands, Tria." she said, "Why would the BR Brigade take Nibbles like that?"

I didn't respond. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from Stryker and Little first.

"Oh, and Tria?" Penny added, "Captain Stryker wants you to go to his office. He says it's important…"

"All right." I said, sighing tiredly as I got off my bed. As I passed by Penny, I placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling at her in an attempt to be reassuring. "Don't worry, Penny. We'll get Nibbles back. I promise."

Penny nodded, gripping my hand. "Yeah…See you around…"

I headed up to the Captain's office, a blank look on my face. I was still irritated at the naïve incompetence the Captain had shown, especially for someone who had supposedly faced and captured Blackraven in the past. As I stepped out of the elevator, Stryker and Little, who had been discussing the incident, turned to face me.

"Thank you for coming, Tria." Stryker greeted me, still looking upset, "I apologize for allowing Dr. Blackraven to escape with Nibbles."

"No." I replied, "I'm the one at fault here. I let my guard down, even though I wasn't stupid enough to think Blackraven would be captured so easily."

Stryker and Little winced at the insulting blow I had just delivered, but neither argued.

"Yes, well…" Stryker said, clearing his throat, "There's something I need to tell you about Nibbles. About his true identity."

"I'm listening…" I said coldly, crossing my arms and tapping my foot as I glared at my superior.

"As you may have guessed, Nibbles is not your average vivosaur. He's actually an experimental subject of Dr. Blackraven's that has been filled with dark energy…"

"So in short, he's the Dreadsaurus." I concluded. The man and boy facing me nodded.

"That's correct. Your vivosaur friend is capable of consuming unlimited amounts of dark energy. That's what makes him so valuable to Dr. Blackraven." Professor Little explained.

"When I captured Dr. Blackraven five years ago, we recovered his experiment before he could finish turning it into a weapon." Stryker continued, "We did our best to remove the dark energy and return him to normal, but it didn't go as well as we'd hoped."

"The dark energy had twisted the subject's soul, filling him with extraordinary hatred and malice for all things human." Little continued to explain, "We tried to remove that hate entirely, but our efforts were unsuccessful. However, we did figure out a way to crystallize the dark energy and seal it away inside him. It wasn't the perfect solution, but at least it gave to poor creature a fighting chance."

"Because his hate was sealed away and not eradicated, the Dreadsaurus was still a threat." Stryker picked up, "Many people wanted him destroyed, but I disagreed. It seemed wrong to kill an innocent creature, whose only fault was coming under the influence of Dr. Blackraven."

"I thank you." I said to the Captain, earning me a small nod.

"So in the end, we used a special device to put the creature into a state of hibernation, similar to what you used to survive 100 million years after you were trapped in the past." Stryker continued, "We thought he might have to stay that way for the rest of eternity…But then a new hope arrived. And that was you, Tria."

I nodded, swallowing the sorrow that came with the truth of those words.

"As the subject…" Little began, then hastily corrected himself, "Er, I mean, Nibbles, began spending more time with you, his hate lessened. If that continued, we were hoping to be able to remove the crystallized dark energy for good. Then he could be a normal vivosaur once more." The child professor sighed. "That was our hope, at least. But now he's fallen back into the clutches of Dr. Blackraven."

I cringed, trying to suppress the growl rising in my throat.

"That madman will waste no time releasing the crystallized dark energy. And then he'll pump even more into him in an attempt to complete his monstrous creation once and for all." Stryker said, his tone grave, "We have to stop this from happening, no matter the cost."

"No matter the cost…" I repeated. I already knew what the cost would be.

"Yes, but how?" Little asked hopelessly, his weak human hearing not registering my quiet words, "The Neo Black Whale is at the bottom of the ocean and won't resurface until the Dreadsaurus is complete."

"Come now, Professor. There's still hope." Stryker chastised the young boy, "We could attempt a magnetic salvage."

"A magnetic salvage?" I asked, tilting my head on confusion.

"That's right." Stryker replied, "It's a technique we've used in the past to haul sunken ships to the surface."

"This is no mere shipwreck, Captain!" the Professor cried exasperatedly, "The Neo Back Whale is larger and heavier than any salvage ever attempted! Why, just the amount of Magnenite required boggles the mind! We'd have to gather it from across the world!" He shook his head. "No, I fear it's simply not possible."

Stryker looked like he was about to argue, but a voice from the elevator beat him to it.

"We won't know if we don't try!" We all turned to see the three Fossil Park leaders standing there proudly.

"What in the world…?" Stryker muttered, slightly shocked by their sudden appearance.

"Pardon the intrusion, everyone, but it couldn't be helped." Liu Ren apologized, not sounding particularly remorseful.

"If it's Magnenite you need, leave the American portion to me!" Sean declared, "My legion of masked fans will be more than happy to help!"

"I shall do the same in Asia." Liu Ren said.

"And I've got Europe…" Drake added, flinching when Sean threw his arms around him and Liu Ren.

"We're heroes, one and all!" Sean stated, grinning at me, "We won't just sit around and wait for Nibbles to be transformed into a monster!"

"Thanks, Sean." I said, smiling gratefully, "Drake, Liu Ren. Thank you."

"Well said, all of you." Stryker said, smiling proudly, "It's time to show the world what the Wardens can really do!" He looked at all of the leaders. "Sean! Liu Ren! Drake! Gather enough Magnenite for us to attempt a magnetic salvage of the Neo Black Whale!"

The leaders responded with their affirmatives, filing back out of the office. I turned my attention back to the other two Wardens, who seemed to be discussing another issue.

"I trust they will be successful." Stryker said, "But that still leaves us with one problem…"

"We can't salvage the Neo Black Whale until we know where it is. Our target is a submarine with superior stealth capability. Sonar will be useless when it comes to this search." Little said, his unusual level of pessimism starting to annoy me, "We'll need another means of finding it, but what?"

"This sounds like a job for a certain member of the Wardens. One who perhaps can see things others cannot see." Stryker said in response, looking at me, smiling knowingly, "According to my reports, the person I have in mind even managed to track down the location of Cosmonium. I need you to meet with this Warden at once, Tria. I trust you know who I mean, yes?"

"Of course, Captain." I replied, returning his smile. He nodded.

"Meanwhile, we'll get going on the magnetic salvage operation. Now let's go to work!" Stryker commanded.

"Yes sir!" I said, saluting and leaving the Captain's office. I immediately headed for the World Gate, sparing a nod to the team of newest Asian recruits as they headed out to search for Magnenite. The urgent atmosphere fueling my adrenaline, I hurried through to Fossil Park Europe, looking around briefly before entering Drake's office. As expected, that's where I found the Warden I sought.

"Hey there, Tria." Violet said in greeting when she saw me, "I was about to go looking for Magnenite. Care to join me?"

"No can do." I replied, "You're needed elsewhere."

"Huh?" she muttered, then gasped as I relayed Captain Stryker's request to her.

"Y-You want me to use my fortune-telling abilities to find a SUBMARINE?!" Violet screamed, her eyes widening into saucers as she shook her head, "N-No! I'm sorry, but…No, I can't!"

"Why not?" I asked, not letting her go that easily.

Violet sighed. "I'm only good at predicting little things, like what someone will eat for breakfast. This is too much pressure!"

"Nonsense." I replied, stepping forward and placing a hand on the woman's drooping shoulder, "You found the Cosmonium that allowed me and my team to go back in time and stop Blackraven. That wasn't a small thing."

Violet clenched her fists, glaring at the floor. "That prediction also got you trapped in the past." she growled.

"Violet." I scolded my Paleo Pal, "That couldn't have been helped. We had to stop Blackraven from brainwashing the dinosaurs. Besides, that wasn't directly the Cosmonium's doing. Just bad luck. And I made it back, didn't I?"

Violet looked at me and sighed, looking away again. "I don't know…"

"You can do it!" I insisted, my grip on her shoulder tightening as I smiled confidently at her. She looked at me in surprised delight.

"Really?" she almost whispered, "You really think I can?" She grinned. "Well then, if YOU believe in me, then I have no choice but to believe in myself!" She then grabbed my hand, practically dragging me into her room.

It was dark, more so than any other room in the Center. There was no window, and the bed was pushed off to the side, despite the fact that she didn't have a roommate. In the center of the room was a chair and a small table, and on that table was a crystal ball sitting on a purple stand.

"Okay, then!" Violet said, sitting on the chair and looking into the crystal ball, "Time to look in my crystal ball for this scary whale thingy!"

I sat on Violet's bed, staying quiet and out of her way as she concentrated. In the dark room, silent except for Violet's occasional humming, I quickly began to doze off. I was jolted awake when I heard her growl in frustration.

"Rats!" she snarled, "It's no good. The crystal ball I have isn't strong enough." She turned to me, admitting guiltily, "I actually got it at a flea market somewhere back in college, soooo…"

"We need to find a stronger crystal ball." I said, yawning, "Any idea where we might find one?"

Violet sat on her bed next to me, humming in thought. She then gasped, "That's it!"

"What's it?" I asked.

"A Crystal Ball +1!" Violet cried, smiling triumphantly, "It's a powerful type of crystal ball that one can find in certain areas. That could be the tool we need."

"All right!" I said happily, "Where is it?"

"Hm…" Violet hummed again, as she often did when in thought. She got up and walked over to the drawer next to her bed, pulling out a magazine and flipping to a page she had clearly memorized. "According to Wistful Psychics Monthly, we should be able to find a Crystal Ball +1 somewhere in Yodel Hills. However, you can't use a crystal ball to find another crystal ball, so do you mind helping me look for it?"

"Sure thing!" I said, smiling.

"Wonderful!" Violet said, clapping and grabbing my hand as she led me out of the Fossil Center, "Oh, I can't wait! Maybe now I can finally get that winning lottery ticket I keep looking for!"

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Just don't forget to look for the Neo Black Whale first!" I then stopped, pulling Violet with me, when I saw a familiar silver-haired male approaching.

"Hello, Tria." he greeted me, his smile hiding his inner sorrow from everyone but me, "It seems things have taken a turn for the worse."

"Hello, Elric." I replied, returning his sad smile, "You're as observant as ever."

"Uh, Tria…" Violet whispered to me, "Who is this?"

"This is Elric Bellamy." I replied, "He's an old friend of mine." I turned my attention back to Elric, both of us ignoring Violet's hushed exclamation of "That's a guy?!"

"I assume you know what our current mission is." I said, already knowing his answer, "Would you like to help us look for the Crystal Ball +1?"

"That was my intention." Elric replied, ignoring Violet's insulted glare at the implication that he had eavesdropped, "But in order to do that, we must become Paleo Pals."

I smiled, knowing the real reason he wanted us to become Paleo Pals, and registered him. I looked back to see a very annoyed Violet, her hands on her hips as she glared at us.

"All right, mister." she snarled, pulling me away from Elric as she met his calm gaze with her angry one, "I don't know who you are, but this is none of your concern. Get lost so we can continue our mission!"

"My, my." Elric chuckled, his calm arrogance succeeding only in pissing off Violet even further, "You certainly have some feisty companions, Tria. Can't say I'm surprised, though. You do have a talent for handling difficult personalities."

"Like yours, for instance." I replied without missing a beat, but I was drowned out by Violet's reaction.

"Wh-Wha…?" Violet stuttered, speechless at the calm insult. I sighed as she then turned red, getting up in Elric's face, despite him being taller than she was. "I'll show you difficult!"

"That's enough!" I yelled, forcing the two apart, "Fighting like this won't help us complete our mission! Yes, OUR mission." I cut off Violet when she tried to protest. "I know Elric can act like a cocky jerk sometimes, but he means well. He's also very dependable, which will make him a good ally."

Violet sighed, and I turned to Elric, who had put his hand over his heart when I'd called him a jerk. "And you should know better than to provoke my friends. You know that if they don't kick your behind, I will." I scolded him, placing my hands on my hips as he held up his in surrender, "So behave yourself, and let's get moving."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Elric replied, using the pet name he'd given me years ago just to annoy me. He then knelt in front of me, taking my hand and bowing his head. "As the wheel to the potter, I am yours to command."

"Excellent." I said, used to Elric's unique method of wording, although I could hear Violet growl, and I didn't miss the few stares we were getting. Elric did always have a talent for catching people's eyes. "Now let's go. We have a crystal ball to find."

"As you wish." Elric said, his usual slightly-cocky smile still in place.

"Yeah, yeah…" Violet sighed, less enthusiastic than before. I patted her arm, smiling at her reassuringly, and managed to get a smile in return.

Once we were in Yodel Hills, Violet spoke up again. "I think I'll get a kind of beep-boop feeling once we're close to the Crystal Ball +1. Er, I hope."

"Tell me, Violet, how big is the Crystal Ball +1?" Elric asked. Violet glared at him, but replied nonetheless.

"I don't know, exactly, since they're so rare, but a crystal ball with as much power as the Crystal Ball +1 would have to be pretty big."

"There's a large rock in the back of the dig site." I said, leading my team toward the clearing with said rock, "We should probably check there first."

We drove there in near-silence, with the occasional spat between Elric and Violet. I sighed. I knew that Elric could be difficult to get along with (heck, most of my friends were), but I still wished he'd at least try get along better with others. He couldn't rely on me forever.

We soon arrived at our destination, and as soon as we entered the clearing, Violet perked up.

"Hey! There's that beep-boop feeling! You know what, I think this whole rock actually IS the Crystal Ball +1!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"I feel like I've heard that somewhere before." Elric said, chuckling.

Violet looked about to retort, so I interjected, "Then use it already!"

"Um…" Violet muttered, getting out of her Bone Buggy and placing her hand on the rock. After a few seconds, she stepped back, shaking her head. "Yeah, I'm not getting anything." she said as she looked back at me, "Use your digging powers to polish it up for me, would you?"

I sighed again, "All right." I then turned to my other companion. "Elric, guard to clearing."

"Of course." he said in affirmation, driving to the clearing's opening and sending out his most trusted vivosaur partner, Toba Titanosaur.

I drove up to the large rock, using the drill to chip away at the rock covering the Crystal Ball +1. As the rock was chipped away, the smooth, sparkling opalescent surface of the large crystal ball emerged. I drove backward, admiring the beautiful orb before me.

"Hoowee! Look at that thing shine! I bet I can see WEEKS into the future with this baby!" Violet exclaimed, jumping up and down like an excited child. She then approached the Crystal Ball +1 and placed her hand on the smooth surface. "Okay, here goes…" she whispered, releasing the breath she had been holding, and began chanting, "Hommina hommina hommina…Abra cadabra and alakazoo…Tippecanoe and Tyler too…Framma jamma lamma! Oogely booogely googley!"

Elric and I snickered at the ridiculous-sounding chant, but we both went silent in shock when Violet yelled, "NOW GIMME THE FORTUNE, BABY!"

Suddenly, a flash of light burst forth from the Crystal Ball +1, blinding us. Elric and I blinked and rubbed our eyes, trying to get rid of the spots appearing in our vision as a result. Once my vision had recovered, I looked to see Violet standing next to the Crystal Ball+1, looking dazed.

"Violet?" I called to her. When she didn't respond, I got out of my Digger's Rig and ran up to her, grabbing her shoulders and lightly shaking her. "Violet! Can you hear me? What happened?!"

"Oh my gosh…" Violet whispered, looking at me before her face broke out into the biggest grin I'd ever seen on her, "I saw it! I ACTUALLY DID A PSYCHIC THING!" She jumped on me, almost crushing me in her ecstatic embrace. "I know exactly where your big neon whale or whatever is!"

"It's a submarine." I said, returning the excited witch's embrace, "Where is it?"

Violet pulled away from me, her excitement starting to fade as reality came back to her.

"Er, well…I think. I mean…" she stuttered, waving her hands in front of me when I gave her an 'are-you-kidding-me' look, "Look, the ocean's a big place, so I can't say EXACTLY where it is…but I know it's next to a shipwreck with a dinosaur drawn on the hull."

"A dinosaur on the hull?" I asked.

"That's still very helpful." Elric said, driving up to us, "You should probably report this to the Captain, Tria."

"I agree." I said, turning back to Violet and embracing her again, "Thank you so much, Violet. You've been a huge help."

Violet returned my embrace, smiling at me. "Thank YOU, Tria, for helping me find the Crystal Ball +1. Now go and save Nibbles!"

"Will do!" I said, getting back into my Digger's Rig and driving back out of Yodel Hills. I could see the grim look behind Elric's smile, and I just nodded to him in an attempt to be reassuring. Violet was called to another area of Yodel Hills to look for more Magnenite. I headed through the World Gate back to Fossil Park Asia, fully aware that Elric was following me, and fully aware of the scolding I was going to get from him when he found out what I was planning to do.


	33. My Fight, Alone

"A shipwreck with a dinosaur drawn on the hull?" Captain Stryker asked, standing in the corner of his office and tapping his chin. I stood in the center of his office where I always did when reporting.

"That's correct, sir." I said, "That's what Violet reported seeing."

Stryker thought for a few more seconds before his eyes widened and he gasped. "Of course!" he exclaimed, "She must be talking about the SS Dinotanic, the luxury liner that sank over 400 years ago! I know exactly where that's located!" He smiled at me, the pride in his eyes enough to make me blush. "Well done, Tria."

"Thank you, Captain." I said humbly, bowing my head slightly, "But Violet's the one who deserves most of the credit."

Stryker nodded, too excited to argue. "And even better news, the other Fossil Fighters found the Magnenite we need. It seems the whole world is coming together to fight the scourge of Dr. Blackraven."

"If only he were the true problem." I thought sadly, "That would make things so much easier."

"We're almost ready now…" Stryker continued, "Soon we'll be able to salvage the Neo Black Whale."

"Agreed!" the young, once again optimistic voice of Professor Little piped up from the elevator, "I never thought we'd be able to pull that ship from the depths of the sea, but it seems I was wrong."

"And thanks to Tria and Violet, we know exactly where to look." Stryker said, his smile widening into a grin at the near-impossible success we'd achieved.

"However, this isn't a foolproof plan." Little said, always the voice of reason, "The Neo Black Whale is too heavy for us to hold in place, much less drag to shore. We'll only be able to pull it to the surface for a few moments-just long enough for someone to board it."

"So whoever goes onto that sub will need to act fast…" Stryker muttered, looking at me without hesitation, "All right, Tria! I'm leaving it to you. Your desire to save Nibbles may be the best weapon we have!"

"You can count on me!" I said, saluting my superior.

"Excellent. Do whatever it takes to save our little friend and bring him back here in one piece." Stryker ordered me.

"I will, sir." I said, swallowing a lump of sadness in my throat.

"All transmissions will be blocked once you're inside the Neo Black Whale, so I'll input the necessary information into your Bone Buggy. Meet me in the square whenever you're ready to go." Professor Little told me, heading out of the Captain's office.

"I'll leave the selection of your team to you, Tria." Stryker said, "Make sure you bring your most trusted Paleo Pals with you."

"About that…" I replied, staring unwaveringly at the tall male, "I have thought about it, and I've decided that this is a mission I'd prefer to take on alone."

"What?!" Stryker exclaimed, actually staggering backward a step as if I had punched him, "That's impossible! You can't take on Dr. Blackraven and rescue Nibbles on your own! Even you're not that strong!"

"Why not?" I asked, "You did!"

"That's different!" Stryker yelled, "He hadn't completed the Dreadsaurus when I had captured him! He also has his lieutenants, and they're strong, too!"

"I can handle Nibbles, and I've already defeated his lieutenants several times. I can also control an entire team of vivosaurs at once, if you'll recall, and that's something I doubt even Blackraven is aware of. That gives me the element of surprise. If they see me alone, they'll underestimate me." I continued to argue, "Do you not trust my abilities?"

"My trust in your abilities isn't the issue! It's not safe to go alone!" Stryker roared at me.

"It isn't safe no matter how many people I bring with me!" I retorted, "This is a dangerous mission! Besides, if I fail, you'll need all the Wardens you've got to stop Blackraven."

"You're less likely to fail if you bring a team!" Stryker bellowed, "You're the one who taught Leon how to work with others! How can you suddenly do a 180 and want to take on this dangerous mission on your own?!"

"I have my reasons." I said simply, "I have to handle this mission, and I have to do it alone, and if you've ever trusted me as your emissary, you will grant me this one request."

"I already told you, Tria." Stryker sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "It's not that I don't trust you. You're the most promising Warden we've ever seen, and your loyalty is unquestionable. But the entire Warden organization is based on teamwork, and letting one of our own go into a dangerous situation to face off against a madman and his creation alone goes against everything we stand for."

"If that's the problem, then I have the solution." I replied, my voice dead-serious, "I can simply leave the Wardens and take on Blackraven as an independent unit. How does that sound?"

Stryker gasped, leaning against his desk as he stared at me in utter shock. That one comment seemed to have completely destroyed his authoritative façade. He continued to stare at me, as if hoping I would take it back or say I was joking, and when I didn't, he rose shakily to his feet and faced me again.

"…You really want to go alone that badly, huh?" he asked, somewhat rhetorically, and when I nodded, he sighed again, "…All right. You win. I give you permission to take on this mission alone. Gather what you need and meet Professor Little in the square."

"Thank you, sir." I said, saluting him one last time before turning to leave. As I was about to enter the elevator, Stryker spoke again.

"Once you return, you will face severe punishment for your insubordination." he warned me. I was about to wave him off, but he then said something that did make me face him.

"But no matter what, you'll always be one of us, a part of the Wardens."

I looked at my Captain in surprise. I then blinked the tears from my eyes and smiled at him.

"Thank you, sir." I said, bowing in gratitude and walking out of the Captain's office. As soon as I got out of the elevator, I was faced with a group of my fellow Wardens.

"Hey, Tria!" Roland greeted me.

"You're going into the Neo Black Whale to save Nibbles, right?" Penny asked me.

"Word travels fast, doesn't it?" I asked rhetorically, heading to my room to prepare.

"Who are you gonna bring with you, Tria?" Nate asked, looking nervous and excited at the same time.

"You'd better take me along, rookie." Leon informed me, "You'll need a grizzled vet like me out in the field."

"And me!" Dahlia added, "You'll need to move fast to get in that sub!"

"Hey! Don't forget me!" Mei Lian snarled, punching the air too close to the other Wardens, "I'm ready to kick Dr. Blackraven in the face!"

"We're all here to help you, Tria." Becky told me, "We'll see this through to the end together."

I remained silent for a minute, setting my gathered supplies on the desk next to my bed. I then turned on my heel and walked out of my room, the group predictably following me. I stopped in the Fossil Center lobby.

"No, I don't think so." I said, not even facing the group, "This time, I'm going in alone."

I closed my eyes, slowly counting to three before the group behind me exploded.

"WHAT?!" they all screamed at once. I kept my back to them, simply staring at the window as the inevitable protests began.

"What do you mean you're going alone?!" Penny cried.

"You can't handle this alone!" Roland added, "You're strong, but you're not THAT strong!"

"We're not abandoning you again, Tria!" Nate yelled, guiltily referring to when I was trapped in the ancient past.

"We won't slow down, Tria!" Dahlia insisted, sounding plaintive, "If that's what's worrying you…"

"We have scores to settle too, ya know!" Mei Lian growled accusingly.

"Tria." Leon said, trying to remain calm as he approached me, "You're the one who taught me the importance of teamwork. I have friends because of you. We can't let you take on this mission alone. We stand together, no matter what."

I clenched my fists, trembling slightly as their words hit me. They didn't seem to notice.

"Is it because you don't trust us, Tria?" Becky asked, "Do you think we're not capable of supporting you?"

I huffed in a bitter laugh, my voice almost a monotone, "Why do I feel like the tables have been turned on me?" I asked myself before responding, "No. I trust all of you completely. I have my own reasons for going alone, reasons that have nothing to do with any of you."

"That's not good enough!" Leon yelled, his short temper finally getting the best of him, and he grabbed my shoulders, roughly turning me to face him, "I told you! We're in this together! We're-" He stopped suddenly, looking at me in shock. "Tria…are you crying?"

Everyone stared at me in shock as I looked at them all, tears streaming down my cheeks even as I smiled.

"You all have done so much for me. I can never thank any of you enough. Believe me when I say that I am truly grateful for everything you've done for me. I'm sorry I can't let you follow me on this mission; it's painful for me as well, but I'm afraid there is no other option." I said sincerely, placing my hands on Leon's arms even as I addressed the group as a whole, "Please try to accept this decision of mine, for it wasn't easy, and please take care of the Fossil Parks in my absence. I'm counting on all of you."

My friends stood in shock at the feeling behind my speech. I gently pried Leon's hands off of my shoulders and backed away, looking at my friends one last time before leaving the Fossil Center, heading for the square where Professor Little was waiting. Before I got too far, though, I was stopped once again, this time by Elric.

"I thought you might try to pull something like this." he said, not even bothering with the charming façade as he glared at me, "You know you can't complete this mission alone."

"I'm not alone." I replied, wiping the remaining tears from my eyes, "You'll follow me, and Nibbles will be there."

"We still may not be enough." Elric argued, "Nibbles may not be willing to cooperate, and I've never been able to do it alone."

"You're not alone, either." I retorted, "I'll still be there to help you."

"How do you know you'll even be able to fight? This enemy is stronger than any you've ever faced." Elric continued to argue, "We need your friends' help on this."

"I'm not getting them involved in this, Elric." I said sternly, "They shouldn't have to go through this. Besides, if Nibbles won't cooperate, what makes you think my friends will?"

"Because they won't be directly involved; their vivosaurs will be, and their vivosaurs won't be nearly as likely to hesitate." Elric replied. I shook my head.

"No means no, Elric." I said stubbornly, "We trained for this as if we'd be acting alone, so that's what we're going to do. End of discussion." I then walked away, ignoring Elric's frustrated glare. Before walking too far, I stopped and grabbed my friend's shoulder, whispering into his ear, "On my nightstand, next to my bed. I'll trust you with the rest."

Elric and I locked gazes, and he nodded in understanding. I returned his nod, letting go and heading to the square, where the Professor was waiting next to my Bone Buggy.

"The time has finally come for us to break into the Neo Black Whale." he said, looking at me curiously, "Where's your team?"

"I am my team." I replied. Little looked surprised, but he didn't argue. He had more faith in my abilities than the others did.

"All right. We've only got one shot at this." he said, "Let's begin the magnetic salvage."

We drove out to the cliff near where the ramp that had launched me through the time gate was. There was a large magnet there, and standing next to the magnet was Captain Stryker. My friends stood further back, at least determined to see me off. I placed my Bone Buggy next to the magnet, letting Professor Little out with a quick hug and nodding once more to the Captain.

"Magnet…ON!" Little yelled, activating the magnet, "Set coordinates to the Pacific Ocean! Aim for the Abyssal Trench! Stand by…Stand by…FIRE!"

As the child professor yelled that, magnetic waves shot from the magnet's two ends, shooting into the water. The water soon began to ripple as the magnet raised the massive submarine to the surface.

"It's working! The Neo Black Whale is caught in the magnetic field!" Little yelled, "Increase power! Get it up here and tear that front hatch open!"

Suddenly, the Neo Black Whale shot up from the water, the hatch opening as the magnet pulled on it. Everyone gasped.

"Now, Tria!" Stryker commanded.

"Sir!" I yelled, flooring the accelerator and launching my Digger's Rig off the cliff and into the massive submarine. Just before the hatch closed and cut off my communications, I heard Captain Stryker's final words to me.

"Once more unto the breach, my friend."

Then my radio transmission went silent and the screen went dark. I felt a tear slip from my eye, rolling down my face as I reflected on his words.

"Captain…" I whispered, "You actually called me your friend…" I sniffled, wiping my eye as I looked up at the now-closed entrance of the submarine. "Thank you."

Just then, a familiar voice sounded over the submarine's intercom.

"Goodness, but you ARE persistent! Don't you know it's rude to break into a man's home?" Blackraven said, sounding vaguely annoyed.

"Maybe so, but I was never taught proper etiquette." I replied smugly, driving over to the side of the room I had entered into.

"Next thing I know, you'll be opening my cabinets and breaking my pots to see if there's money inside." Blackraven groaned over the speaker. I laughed.

"That's not a bad idea!" I yelled back, "Though I have no interest in your money!"

Blackraven sighed, "But so be it." He then bellowed in challenge, "If you want your little Dreadsaurus, come and take him…IF YOU CAN! Bwa ha! Bwaaaa ha ha ha ha!"

"That was the plan." I muttered to myself, parking my Digger's Rig, which I had just gotten to replace the one I had left in the ancient past, off to the side and climbing out of it. Discarding my holographic disguise for good, I took off and sped through the numerous rooms of the Neo Black Whale, chasing off the rogue vivosaurs and destroying everything that got in my way as I made a bee-line for the core of the sub, where I knew Nibbles was being held.


	34. Warning in the Fossil Parks

While most of the Wardens gathered in Fossil Park Asia, waiting for the results of Tria's mission, two Wardens, an Asian and a European, stood in the clearing with the Crystal Ball +1. Or rather, the purple-haired Warden stood in the clearing, her hand resting on the large crystal ball and her eyes closed on concentration. The other Warden, a male dressed like a ninja, sat on the cliffs surrounding the clearing, keeping watch for nearby vivosaurs. The woman hummed as she let her mind's eye be guided by the Crystal Ball +1.

"Why are we out here, Violet?" the male asked his European comrade, "Shouldn't we be joining the leaders in Asia? Tria's team should've already left by now."

"In a minute, Hanzo." Violet replied, not breaking contact with the crystal ball, "The Crystal Ball +1 called out to me. It wants to show me something."

Hanzo just snorted, shaking his head at the witch's claims. He simply continued his watch, only turning back when he heard his companion gasp.

"Violet?" he asked, jumping down and walking up to the woman, "Did you see something?"

"No…" Violet whispered, her eyes wide and a look of pure horror on her face. At first Hanzo thought Violet hadn't seen anything, but then she continued, "No…that can't be right. That's impossible…"

"What? What is it, Violet? What did you see?" Hanzo asked, shaking the witch to snap her out of her daze. Violet stared at the ninja Warden, terrified and gasping for air.

"Hanzo…" she whispered, suddenly getting up and climbing into her Bone Buggy, "We have to get to Fossil Park Asia! Hurry!" She then sped out of Yodel Hills, Hanzo close behind. As they both rushed into the Fossil Center, they literally ran into Fossil Leader Drake.

"W-Whoa!" Leader Drake cried, even though he was the least affected by the crash, "S-Sorry. Are you…um, okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Violet muttered hastily, picking herself up and grabbing both Wardens' hands, "Come on! We have to warn the other Wardens!"

"W-Warn?!" Leader Drake stuttered fearfully, his natural nervousness made worse by Violet's frantic tone.

"Warn them about what?" Hanzo asked for fifth time in two minutes, starting to get annoyed.

Violet ignored them both, rushing through the World Gate. She barged into the Captain's office, where all the other Wardens had been gathered, and slammed her hands on Captain Stryker's desk, gasping for breath.

"Ah, Violet, Drake, and Hanzo. Glad to have you join us." Captain Stryker said, grinning to hide his annoyance at their tardiness, "Now I can start this meeting."

"Meeting?" Hanzo asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Leader Drake muttered, still embarrassed over being late, "I was, um, going to tell you that the Captain had called a meeting for all Wardens."

"That's correct." Captain Stryker said, "I called you all here to give you your next orders. As you all know, Tria has infiltrated the Neo Black Whale, and we all must be ready for when she returns with Nibbles. Dr. Blackraven is resourceful, so we must be ready for anything."

"Forget that!" Violet yelled, her eyes wide and urgent, "Forget stand by! We have to get in there now! Tria's in serious danger!"

Numerous horrified whispers rose from the group, the Wardens looking at each other in worry.

"We know Tria's in a dangerous situation." Captain Stryker said, "We knew that before she left, but sometimes Wardens have to go into dangerous situations. Tria's done it before, and has always made it back to us."

"Not this time!" Violet insisted, "I saw it in the Crystal Ball +1! If we don't help her NOW, Tria's gonna die!"

The nervous whispers increased in volume to loud murmurs. Captain Stryker looked around at them, gulping. He knew the accuracy of Violet's predictions, at least while she was using the Crystal Ball +1.

"Even if that's the case, we can't get into the Neo Black Whale." Professor Little said from his place next to the Captain, "We've already used up all of the Magnenite. We can't pull the Neo Black Whale up to board it again."

"That won't be necessary, Professor." a calm, smooth voice said from the elevator, "There is another way to get into the Neo Black Whale."

"You again?" Violet growled in irritation as she looked at the silver-haired male who had just entered the office, "What are you doing here, Elric?"

"Offering my assistance, of course." Elric replied easily, unfazed by the fact that the eyes of all the Wardens were focused on him, "If you want to help Tria, I can give you a way to do that."

"Who are you?" Leader Liu Ren asked, vaguely suspicious.

"Hey, wait!" Leon exclaimed suddenly, "You're the guy who helped me and Tria when we were trying to close Dr. Blackraven's time gate!"

"Aren't you the guy Tria was talking to just before she left?" Roland asked.

"Yes, to both of you." Elric replied, still calm.

"You claim that there's a way to board the Neo Black Whale." Professor Little addressed the newcomer, "Would you like to share that knowledge with us?"

"Be happy to." Elric replied, holding up a small device, "Right here."

The group became silent as they looked at the small circular device in confusion. Only Professor Little recognized it.

"I don't know where you got a warp portal device." he said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously, "But it's useless if you don't set up a connection with a portal at your destination. We didn't give Tria a warp portal device."

"Just because you didn't give her one, doesn't mean she doesn't have one, Professor." Elric replied, sounding cocky and vaguely patronizing, "Tria's already set up a portal inside the submarine, although she's not expecting anyone other than me to use it." He looked around the room, a thoughtful look on his face, "Everyone who graduated alongside Tria, would you please step forward?"

The group of five- Penny, Nate, Roland, Leon, and Dahlia- looked at each other and stepped forward. None of them had any reason not to obey the mysterious boy. He was Tria's friend, after all.

"I need the five of you to come with me. We're going after Tria. Everyone else…" he said, increasing the volume of his voice to be heard over the protests of the other Wardens, "I need to stay here as back-up, in case something goes horribly wrong and we're all wiped out." Elric looked around the room, eyes resting on Captain Stryker. "Is this plan agreeable to you, Captain?"

Everyone looked to the Captain, as he was their leader. Captain Stryker looked at Elric, not entirely trusting him, but he didn't protest, simply sighing as he said, "I'm not sure I like leaving such an important mission with such valuable Wardens in the hands of a stranger, but I don't think we have an option here." He then glared at the confident male. "Tell us, though- Elric, was it? Tell us why we should trust you. Give us proof."

"Proof, you say?" Elric asked, smiling, as if he'd been expecting that question, "How about information? Regarding my history and mission here…as well as Tria's?"

The murmurs in the crowd started anew.

"Tria's mission?" Penny asked, confused.

"I thought Tria's mission was the rescue Nibbles." Becky said, looking at her brother, who just shrugged, "Does she have a different goal we don't know about?"

"Ultimately, yes." Elric answered, "Don't get me wrong, she still aims to rescue Nibbles, but that's only a part of the bigger picture. When I said mission, I wasn't referring to the infiltration of the Neo Black Whale. I was talking about Tria's reason for coming here and becoming a Warden in the first place."

Everyone's eyes widened, and they looked at each other in shock and skepticism. Elric addressed the Captain.

"Captain." he said, "The Warden HQ normally does background checks on all potential candidates to make sure they don't have a record that would make them a threat, right?"

"That's correct." Captain Stryker replied, now thoroughly suspicious of that knowledge. Elric just smirked.

"If you would check Tria's records, Captain, you might find that your security probably isn't tight enough." he said, chuckling as everyone gathered around the Captain's desk to look at his computer screen. His smile widened into a barely-contained grin as everyone gasped.

"It's…It's gone…" Captain Stryker muttered, "Her entire record's disappeared!"

"Not disappeared, Captain." Elric corrected, "Something can't disappear without first appearing." When some people looked confused, Elric sighed and elaborated, "You don't have Tria's record now, Captain, because you never had it to begin with. Tria's skills allowed her to get through the test while evading the background check. Which is a good thing, considering she probably wouldn't have made it into the Wardens otherwise."

"Why is that?" Leader Liu Ren asked, "Is there something that bad on Tria's record?"

"That's not the issue." Elric replied, "The issue is that she has no record here."

"That's impossible!" Leader Sean yelled, getting impatient, "The only way she wouldn't have a record is if she just appeared out of nowhere right before coming here!"

Elric smiled, looking at Leader Sean with admiration. "Bingo. Very good, American Leader. Tria did tell me your smile wasn't the only thing that was bright. She's always been good at reading people, it's almost scary."

"But that makes no sense!" Leader Liu Ren insisted, "People don't just appear out of nowhere! Tria had to have come from somewhere!"

"Oh, she did come from somewhere." Elric replied, "It's just not somewhere any of you would be familiar with."

"She should still have a record! It's impossible to exist in this world and not have a record!" Captain Stryker argued.

"Who said anything about this world?" Elric asked, sending the entire group into a stunned silence. He shook his head. "Tria was born on this planet, although some of her ancestors weren't, but she's still not from this world. Neither am I, for that matter."

Everyone stared at the enigmatic boy, the room still silent. Elric walked over to the Captain's desk, setting a device on it and connecting it to his computer. "This will allow you to hear my voice, and you'll be able to see what we see through the cameras on our Bone Buggies. I'll explain everything, but we have to get moving, before Tria gets too far ahead of us."

Elric then walked toward the elevator, gesturing for Tria's fellow graduates to follow him, but Captain Stryker's voice stopped him once more.

"One more thing, Elric." he said, "Why would you tell us this? And why didn't Tria tell us about her past herself?"

"I can't say for certain Tria's reasons, although her main priority coming here was to carry out her mission, and revealing this information may have compromised that objective. As for me telling you, well…" He looked back at the group, smiling sincerely for once. "You're all her friends, so you deserve to know just who, and what, she is. The whole story."

He then headed down to the lobby and out into the square, setting up the warp portal for their journey through it. He also set up the camera and earpiece so that the other Wardens would be able to hear him. He had just driven his silver-and-lavender Speed Demon out into the parking lot to meet the others when Penny rushed out of the Fossil Center, her eyes wide and frantic.

"Guys! This is bad! Really bad!" she cried, terrified.

"What is it, Penny?" Dahlia asked, grabbing the other girl's shoulders to steady her, "What's really bad?"

"Tria…" she muttered, pulling out the bag Tria had been packing when they'd last talked to her, "She forgot her supplies!"

"What's the big deal?" Leon asked, annoyed by her whimpering, "It's not like she's going on a camping trip, you know."

"That's not it!" Penny yelled, frustrated, "Her Dino Gears are in here! She forgot her Dino Gears!"

"WHAT?!" everyone screamed, including the Wardens listening in the Captain's office. Elric winced as the voices in his earpiece deafened him, his irritation making his voice harsher than usual.

"She didn't forget them." he snapped at the Wardens, shutting them up, "She left them on purpose. When she said she was going alone, she really meant alone."

"But that's insane!" Leon yelled above the other Wardens' exclamations, "Even I never tried to go on a mission without my vivosaurs! Tria can't fight the BR Brigade on her own!"

"Oh, the BR Brigade isn't a problem for Tria." Elric said, "The only challenge for her is Nibbles, and that's only because she'll be forced to hold herself back. The real problem lies elsewhere."

"What are you saying?!" Mei Lian cried through the radio Elric had given them, "That Tria can defeat vivosaurs on her own?! No human can do that!"

"You're right about that." Elric said, getting into his Speed Demon and activating the warp portal, "But I never said Tria was a human." He chuckled at the shocked silence from the Wardens, although he was starting to get used to it. "Not a full one, anyway."

"Wh-What do you mean by that, Elric?" the Captain stuttered, completely undone by that revelation. No one could blame him; everyone else was absolutely overwhelmed to the point of speechless. "Are you saying that Tria isn't human? She looks and acts human in every way!"

"Yes. Her holographic disguise is quite thorough, although it did fail once while she was here. In your presence, actually." Elric replied, driving up to the warp portal, "Trust me. I'll explain everything, but we need to get moving. Tria's already far ahead of us, and she's not going to waste time." He blared his horn to snap the rest of his team out of their dazes, and, together, they drove through the portal, entering the submarine. As soon as they emerged into the entrance room, one of them noticed something.

"Hey, look!" Roland exclaimed, "It's Tria's Bone Buggy! What's it doing here?"

"Is Tria in it?" Nate asked, driving up to it.

"Not likely." Elric replied, leading the group deeper into the submarine, "She just left it there because she can move faster without it."

"Tria can move faster than a Bone Buggy?!" Dahlia exclaimed, sounding torn between shock and admiration.

"Easily." Elric said, "As I said, Tria's not human. She only disguised herself as one so that she would fit in here, since her kind hasn't lived on this planet in several hundred years, and any record of them has long since been destroyed."

"All right, Elric." Captain Stryker said, "We've followed your orders and done as you asked. Now it's time to hold up your end of the deal. Tell us. Who are you, who and what is Tria, where do you two come from, and why are you here?"

Elric sighed. "Very well. I guess I'll start with where we're from and how we got here. It's a bit of a long story, but this is a big submarine, and, thanks to Tria, there won't be many obstacles. Please listen, and try to limit interruptions until I'm done."

Everyone nodded. Elric took a deep breath and began his story, a tale that would soon become legend.


	35. Tria's Past Revealed

_Tria and I are childhood friends, as you already know. However, what you may not know is that we don't come from this world. Or, to be more precise, we don't come from this time._

 _Yes, I know. No one expects that. But didn't you find it strange that Tria didn't seem even a little nervous when she traveled back in time? She may be good at hiding how she really feels, but even she will show something in the face of strong emotions. She wasn't affected by time travel because she's done it before. Many times, actually, when she and I worked together more directly._

 _You see, I am an engineer of the space-time continuum. It's my job to maintain its stability, which is why I helped you when you were trying to stop Dr. Blackraven from opening the time gate. I would've gone back to get Tria and Nibbles after they had gotten trapped in the past, but Tria told me she had another plan, so I left her. I'm surprised she still remembered the Secret Island off the coast of Vivosaur Island, let alone managed to find a portable stone-sleep device. She'd only been there once, after all._

 _Hm? When exactly are we from? Well, I can't give you a specific date, for risk of destabilizing the space-time continuum, but I can tell you it's well over a thousand years in the past. Yes, I know it's a long time. Please don't interrupt. We come from a very different time. There are no Bone Buggies (I know that's hard to imagine Dahlia, but please try to save your shock for later information), so the fighters had to explore dig sites and excavate fossils on foot._

 _We also come from a time before the Fossil Fighter Uprising, when a group of fighters combined their teams of vivosaurs into an army and tried to take over the world. Actually, to be more precise, we were there when the uprising took place. We even helped our parents with the counterattack, or, at least, Tria did._

 _What? You don't know about the uprising? Of course; that was kept secret from most citizens. Before the uprising, fighters didn't use one vivosaur and work in teams of three, but rather, each fighter controlled teams of three vivosaurs, and each fighter fought alone. Tria and I know this method of fighting, and Tria even used it in this world, first to defeat the Speed Fiends, and then to fight in the Parsec tournament where she first faced Kowloon. Yes, Tria's "team" for that tournament was fake. Leader Liu Ren and Mei Lian had posed as her teammates, but the entire team was controlled by Tria herself._

 _Our parents? An excellent question, Penny. Both Tria and I got many of our skills and talents from our parents. My father's name is Rupert. He was the runner-up champion during the first Caliosteo Cup, the one where a body-stealing skull named Zongazonga tried to steal the champion's body and rule the world. Incidentally, my father's body was possessed temporarily, before the champion drove Zongazonga out and destroyed him. The champion, Dina, also happens to be my mother. That's right. I am the son of the champion and runner-up champion of the Caliosteo Islands, both of whom saved the world. I am quite proud of my heritage. However, I am not alone. Tria also comes from a famous, world-saving line, perhaps even more so than mine._

 _You see, the reason Tria knew about the Secret Island where she got the portable stone-sleep device was because both her father and her mother had been there, and they'd brought her there to explore it when she was younger. The Secret Island actually contains the technology that eventually led to the first revival machine. In other words, that island was the origin of the technology that gave us the vivosaurs. It also held some of the information that was key to the mission that allowed Tria's father and mother to save the world, which they did even before my parents had met._

 _That's right. Tria's father is the Champion of Vivosaur Island, Hunter. Her mother is his wife, Duna, who had helped Hunter save the world from the planet-eating monster Guhnash._

 _What's that? How very astute of you, Liu Ren. I had indeed said that Tria is not fully human. It is true that Hunter is, or in your case was, a human, but Duna, Tria's mother, is not. She is part of an ancient race that had originally come to Earth when life was first developing here. Her home planet was devoured by Guhnash, so Duna and her kind attempted to turn Earth into a new home. They used the stone-sleep devices to wait until their kind had evolved on Earth, and when they'd found that evolution had taken a different turn, they tried to reverse evolution and start over. Hunter was the one who stopped them from doing that, with Duna's help, and Duna's people had, for quite a while, learned to live alongside humans. These aliens are referred to as dinaurians._

 _Yes, Nate, dinaurians are people who evolved from dinosaurs, or, as you put it, "dinosaur-people." And yes, Roland, Tria is half-dinaurian. Scientists in our time still aren't entirely sure how it's possible, but humans and dinaurians are able to mate and produce fully-functional offspring. I'm sorry, Leader Drake. I didn't mean to embarrass you._

 _Of course, while Tria is only half-dinaurian, most of her traits are dinaurian. From what studies have shown (yes, Mei Lian, studies have been done on Tria), dinaurian genes are dominant over human genes, so while Tria is only half-dinaurian, her true form looks almost completely like a dinaurian. In fact, the only part of Tria's body that is human is the fur on her head. Mammals, like humans, have hair, while reptiles, like dinaurians, have highly-evolved scales that resemble hair. …That's one way to put it, Professor. The "hair" on dinaurians is actually the next stage of feathers. Tria's hair is that of a human, but the rest of her body is not._

 _Ah, I knew that reaction was coming, Leon. You're right that Tria doesn't look non-human to any of you, but as I had said previously, she had disguised herself so that she could fit into this world more easily. You see, several hundred years ago, there was a war between humans and dinaurians caused by a group of radical humans that didn't like living alongside dinaurians. Leader Liu Ren may know this as the war that led to the creation of the Earth Dragon. The dinaurians, remembering the humans' kindness when they had first begun living among them, decided they had overstayed their welcome and left this planet in search of a new home again. The radicals destroyed all record of the dinaurians' existence, including the record of Duna, who was the first dinaurian to side with the humans and had even gone against the wishes of her own king to protect our kind. So, in order to avoid causing a fuss in this time, Tria used the holographic disguise developed by the dinaurians to make herself appear human, even mimicking human weaknesses. If Tria had been in her true form, the wound she'd obtained when Gorgo'd attacked her would've healed within days. The metal rod she'd been hit with while protecting Violet wouldn't have even fazed her. Don't keep beating yourself up about that, Violet. Tria doesn't regret protecting you. She has very high threshold for pain tolerance._

 _Speaking of those injuries, do you all remember when Tria had disappeared in Starry Falls, right after Dr. Blackraven had escaped into the past? She had claimed that she "couldn't tell you" why she'd fled. That was true, because Tria had fled into the conveniently-nocturnal dig site because the same magnetic interference that had disabled your Bone Buggies had also disabled her holographic disguise, which means that her true form had been revealed. That's right. Tria had fled because she had to hide her true form. She fled into the chasm in the center of the dig site, where I met her and gave her a new holographic disguise._

 _Don't be angry with Tria, Leader Sean. She would never have made it into the Wardens, nor would she have been able to remain hidden until she found her target, if she had shown you her true form right away. Also, in this time period, dinaurians aren't even remembered to exist, and the ones who do know about dinaurians only know of them through the bias created by the radicals. How was she supposed to know whether or not you'd accept her? Even you all don't know whether or not you would've accepted her if you hadn't gotten to know her first. No need to feel ashamed about that, Becky. It's natural not to trust someone who is different, especially a member of a race you've never even heard of._

 _Hm? Ah, yes. Very good, Hanzo. Yes, Tria's abilities far exceed that of humans, even ninjas like yourself. Not only can she move faster than any human, as shown when she left her Bone Buggy behind, but she also has strength that rivals most vivosaurs'. She can also speak the ancient language of dinosaurs and vivosaurs fluently, and she has a natural intimidation and authority over them. She has also developed specific abilities similar to the attacks of vivosaurs. Before we came here, Tria was tested by many high-level fighters, including her own parents as well as mine, and she's been able to stand up to most fighter teams, even managing to hold up against our parents' for quite a while before they managed to bring her down. Hey, don't get mad at me. She was being trained for her mission here, where she'll be facing a powerful foe that won't go easy on her if she shows weakness. The world is not kind, in our time or this one, and we have to be tough to handle it._

 _Tria's been training for this mission for many years now, as have I. We know what we're doing, but I brought you with me because we may not be able to complete it on our own. Can we count on you?_


	36. You are not alone

"Of course!" Roland said immediately.

"Tria's our friend! We're always ready to help her!" Penny added.

"Hmph." Leon huffed. At the nervous glances he got, he sighed, "I don't know what the humans in your time are like, but we won't abandon our friend, no matter who, or what, she is."

"Yeah!" Dahlia cheered, "We stand by Tria, no matter what!"

"As do we." Captain Stryker said, and the other Wardens nodded and spoke in agreement.

"No matter what, huh?" Elric muttered, "We'll see…"

"Holy crap!" Nate, the most timid of the Wardens, cried, "Another door's been destroyed!"

"Another?" Roland gasped. He'd been too caught up in Elric's story to notice the outside world.

"I did mention Tria's strength, didn't I?" Elric asked rhetorically, "Tria's normally very patient, but once that patience wears thin, she can become quite destructive."

Nate and Roland gulped nervously. Leon whistled. Dahlia giggled. Penny asked.

"Um, Elric? I was wondering, what does Tria's true form look like?"

Everyone looked at the silver-haired male, who chuckled. "You'll find out soon enough. Right now, we have company."

"Is it Tria?" Penny asked, looking around eagerly.

"I wish." Elric almost growled, "Though I don't doubt she's here, too."

"Look at you, disturbing home of nice man with your intruding. You are no better than filthy cockroach, yes?"

"Olga…" Violet growled, gripping her wand in an attempt to control her anger.

"I'll admit, I was hoping Tria would show up so I could finally have a chance at revenge, but I guess you'll have to do."

"Kowloon…" Mei Lian snarled, trembling with rage.

"No need to worry, Kowloon." Elric replied coolly, "You'll get your chance to face Tria soon, although I doubt it'll end the way you expect."

"Enough!" Kowloon roared, sending out his dark vivosaur, "Now get ready for PAIN!"

"I'll crush you like old piece of baklava!" Olga challenged as her dark vivosaur was released.

"Like I have time for you flies!" Leon barked as Ptera shrieked.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Dahlia yelled, her Pachy pawing the ground eagerly.

"Let's go!" Nate joined in, his Edapho roaring confidently.

"We're in this, too!" Penny exclaimed over the chirping of her Hypsi.

"Don't forget us!" Roland called, the stomping of his Tricera shaking the room.

"This is getting interesting." Elric hummed in amusement, exchanging a knowing glance with the massive sauropod who towered over him. Toba looked back down at her fighter, raising her gaze then to the large cubes of rock and fossils placed all around the room. She bellowed loudly, as if greeting an unseen entity.

"Pachy! Skull Charge!" Dahlia commanded. Pachy roared excitedly, charging at Olga's Gorgostroika. Gorgostroika growled in annoyance, swinging its head and swatting the smaller vivosaur away. It then looked up to see Ptera diving at it, screeching loudly.

"Gorgostroika! Corpse Breath!" Olga commanded. Gorgostroika opened its massive jaws, releasing the foul-smelling gas potent enough to knock Ptera right out of the sky. As the pterosaur fell, the corrupted carnivore tried to crush him under its foot, but Toba intervened, swinging her neck and causing Gorgostroika to stagger backward.

Meanwhile, Tricera charged at Zinodious, sharpened horns gleaming, but the long-clawed vivosaur caught him, holding the large herbivore in place with the dark energy's strength.

"Hypsi! Chaotic Chord!" Penny ordered her vivosaur. Hypsi sang her wild song, trying to confuse her opponent. However, the dark vivosaur was too experienced to fall for her attack and roared angrily, throwing the captive herbivore into the smaller Fire-type. Edapho waddled forward, trying to bite Zinodious' leg, but he was swatted away too.

"It seems the dark vivosaurs have gotten even stronger." Elric said, still calm, "What are you going to do about these guys? Are you going to help us, or let us fend for ourselves?"

"What's he rambling about?" Dahlia asked, slightly frustrated at not being able to defeat the BR lieutenants.

"Wait!" Penny cried suddenly, "Do you think he's…?"

Suddenly, a fearsome roar echoed throughout the submarine, the epicenter in the room where the battle was taking place. All of the vivosaurs shrieked in terror, the vivosaurs of the Wardens retreating back into their Dino Gears and falling to the floor. Toba raised her head and roared back, actually sounding pleased at the threatening call. The dark vivosaurs didn't return to their Dino Gears, their hatred and rage keeping them from backing down, but even they trembled in the face of the creature making the noise.

"Wh-Wh-What the hell was that?!" Nate squeaked, scrambling out to get his Edapho's Dino Gear.

"I have no idea!" Penny cried, terrified as she too ran out of her Bone Buggy to grab Hypsi. Everyone else ran out to retrieve their vivosaurs, with Leon taking a defensive stance.

"Leon! Was that…?" Becky yelled frantically through the radio.

"Yeah…" the American Warden muttered worriedly, "It's the super predator we heard in Dusty Steppes. What the hell is it doing here?"

"A super predator?" Roland almost whimpered.

"Did Dr. Blackraven capture it before we could find it?" Sean exclaimed in disbelief. Everyone turned to look at Elric, who laughed as he stepped out and lay a hand on Toba's foreleg.

"Very impressive." Elric chuckled, smirking at Gorgostroika and Zinodious, "It takes guts to stand your ground against Heaven's Call. Well done."

The dark vivosaurs roared, insulted by the human's condescending tone, and charged, teeth and claws bared as they prepared to rip the humans and one remaining vivosaur apart. Several of the Wardens screamed in terror, knowing that they were defenseless, and closed their eyes, not knowing what else to do, but the attack never came.

The humans' screams were cut off by two loud clangs of metal. They opened their eyes to see two giant vivosaurs standing over them, blocking the dark vivosaurs' attacks. The two mystery vivosaurs looked like simple, featureless therizinosaurs with silver bodies and copper claws that they had used to catch their opponents attacks. The two vivosaurs sent shivers down the spines of the humans they were defending when the humans caught a glimpse of their eyes, for they held absolutely no sign of life. The two therizinosaurs threw back the dark vivosaurs, allowing everyone a better view of the mysterious protectors.

"What the hell?!" Kowloon yelled, frustrated.

"They are like Russian war machines!" Olga cried.

"It's true!" Nate exclaimed, running up to one and knocking on its leg, eliciting a hollow banging sound, "These things are made of metal! Are they robots or something?"

"Dinomatons." Elric stated, catching everyone's attention once more, "They're machines often used by dinaurians when they don't feel like fighting themselves."

"Dinaurians?" Leon asked, eyes widening along with everyone else's, "Wait, then that means…!"

"That's right." Elric said, turning around and looking up at the top of one of the large cubes of rock near the door that the lieutenants were guarding. Toba bellowed again in greeting as Elric smiled. "Looks like we've finally caught up to you, Tria."

All of the Wardens present rushed to look up where Elric was looking. The cameras in the Bone Buggies turned to that area as well, none of the other Wardens wanting to miss this. Because standing on top of that giant fossil rock was Tria, in her true form.

She had the same build as her human disguise, but the rest of her appearance differed. Her body, instead of lightly-tan skin, was covered in pure-white scales. The claws on her hands and feet (she wasn't wearing shoes) were pitch black, as were her clothes: shorts and a tank-top that pressed close to her body to lessen rubbing on her scales. She also appeared to be wearing a dark blue cloak that fell to her ankles and was attached to her shoulders by what looked like clawed, three-fingered hands. Her dark blue hair, usually held up in a weird upward ponytail, was down, and fell past her shoulders. Behind her, a whip-like tail, white except for a dark blue tip, thrashed in agitation. Her pointed ears twitched and her alien eyes, golden with light blue slitted pupils, glared at the humans below her, the pink stripes under each eye only increasing her glare's intimidation. She snarled, revealing the sharp, gleaming teeth of a predator. She looked very displeased.

"Tria!" Elric called to the half-dinaurian, "It's good to see you again! You're as radiant as ever!"

Tria snorted, narrowing her eyes before saying in her recognizable voice, "Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Elric."

Everyone gasped, hearing her voice coming from the dinaurian finally driving home the fact that this was Tria, the strongest and most accomplished of all the Wardens, and that the Wardens had been seeing an illusion of her all this time. Tria ignored them, simply jumping down to stand in between the two Dinomatons she was controlling. The BR lieutenants gawked at her, unable to quite believe their eyes, as Tria commanded the mechanical vivosaurs.

"Dinomatons. Heartless Fury." she ordered emotionlessly, her savage tone somehow matched by a cold distance that betrayed just how she felt about the current situation.

The mechanical vivosaurs roared, charging forward and slashing the dark vivosaurs. They then jumped back, firing lasers from their mouths through their opponents. The dark vivosaurs still didn't fall, but they were starting to weaken.

"Heh heh heh." Kowloon laughed, "Did you really think a couple of machines could take down a dark vivosaur?"

Tria didn't answer. She just leapt up, launching herself at the two dark vivosaurs. Her friends called out to her, worried for her safety, but she ignored them all. She lunged at Gorgostroika first, slashing across its chest with her claws. The dark carnivore bellowed in pain, fading into its Dino Gear, much to everyone's shock and awe. Tria didn't hesitate in leaping at Zinodious next, bringing it down the same way.

"Woah…" several of the humans chorused. Others whistled, and some still were speechless. Elric just smiled with pride at his friend's power and grace.

"How…" Kowloon muttered, actually sounding fearful for a change, "She defeated our dark vivosaurs with her bare hands…"

"Technically, she used her claws." Elric replied, his smartass tendencies kicking in.

"Three times we have made with the losing to you!" Olga cried, "Is more embarrassing than time wolf entered local village and stole many chickens!"

Tria landed back on the floor, eyeing the BR lieutenants with an emotion that wasn't quite wary; it was curiosity. She then huffed and lunged again, this time at Olga's Bone Buggy. She crashed through the window easily, grabbing the woman by the collar of her fuzzy winter coat and dragging her out onto the floor of the room, under the watch of the Dinomatons.

"Tria! What are you doing?" Captain Stryker called through the radio, "You've already defeated their dark vivosaurs! You're not authorized to punish the lieutenants themselves!"

Tria ignored him, as she had been, and stared into the Russian woman's ice-blue eyes, baring her teeth at the woman's frightened expression. She opened her mouth and roared, nearly deafening the woman she still held captive.

"Team!" Captain Stryker yelled to the Wardens in the submarine, "This is an order! Stop Tria!"

Penny, Nate, Roland, Leon, and Dahlia all glanced at each other before preparing to seize their dinaurian friend. However, they found that the Dinomatons blocked their path, and so did Toba.

"You disappoint me, Wardens." Elric said with a frown, "Do you really distrust your comrade so much? Tria's no killer."

The group of Wardens, still relatively new graduates, looked conflicted and unsure of what to do. Elric, before the Captain could protest, elaborated, "Besides, if Tria had wanted to kill or injure the lieutenants, she would've done it already. And of course, if we tried to intervene…" He turned to look at his friend again. "We'd likely get caught in the crossfire."

Everyone turned their attention back to the fight just in time to see Kowloon jump from his modified Turf Shredder, flying straight towards Tria.

"Tria! Look out!" Mei Lian cried through the radio, remembering all-too-well the strength of Kowloon's attacks.

Tria glanced at the attacking kung-fu specialist, blocking his kick with her left arm while not letting go of Olga. Kowloon snarled viciously, eye narrowing dangerously as he threw punches and kicks at the half-dinaurian, who blocked every one. Tria sighed, sounding annoyed, and let go of her captive to focus solely on Kowloon. Olga simply fell to the floor, dazed.

"Why?!" Kowloon screamed as every one of his attacks was blocked, "Why can't I ever win?! My Fossil Battle strategy is unmatched! My kung-fu talents are without peer! SO WHY CAN'T I EVER BEAT YOU?!"

"Why?" Tria answered, sounding patronizing, "Because you're a human, obviously. No matter how strong a human becomes, he could never hold a candle to a dinaurian." She looked into Kowloon's uncovered eye unflinchingly. "Face it, Kowloon. You never stood a chance against me."

Kowloon's eye seemed to glow red with rage as he let loose another flurry of attacks on Tria. He even unsheathed the claws in his gloves, and the clang of impacting metal filled the room. As Tria continued to fight Kowloon, not even acknowledging the other lieutenant, Elric made a noise of recollection, getting the Wardens' attention.

"Oh yeah. There's one thing I forgot to mention about Tria's true form." he said, leaning against Toba's leg, "Tria's special, even among dinaurians, and not just because she's half-human." When everyone looked at him expectantly, he continued "Back in our time, Tria's known by a rather extravagant title: the Dinaurian Angel."

"The Dinaurian Angel?" Leon repeated, sounding exasperated.

"Because of her kindness?" Penny said, more of a suggestion than a question.

"Hm…eventually, yes." Elric replied, glancing at the fight, "But Tria had been given that title shortly after she was born, before her personality had really developed."

"Then why did they call her that?" Dahlia asked impatiently. Elric smiled in amusement as one of the Wardens gasped.

"Holy crap!" Nate exclaimed, "Her cloak moved!"

"Of course Tria's cloak moved. She is fighting." Roland tried to reason with his colleague. Nate shook his head.

"No, not like that!" he insisted, "Look! At the claws on her shoulders!"

Everyone looked back to the fight, where Tria had seized one of Kowloon's claws with her own. Kowloon, an experienced fighter with both arms, raised his other fist to swing at his opponent. It was during that attack that the claws on her shoulders had lifted and shot forward, grabbing his wrist and halting the attack in its tracks. Everyone gasped.

"H-How did she do that?!" Becky asked, almost breathless.

"That's so cool!" her brother added, blue eyes sparkling, "Where can I get a cloak like that?"

Elric laughed, "Nowhere, unless you're willing to go through some genetic experimentation." He gestured everyone forward, Toba pushing her fighter's Speed Demon forward so that the Wardens in HQ could see as well. "You see, Tria's not wearing a cloak. That part of her body is where the title of 'Dinaurian Angel' comes from."

The Wardens gawked at their comrade as her cloak- no, her WINGS, like that of a pterosaur- extended over her head and the head of her opponent. The intimidation the massive limbs gave her was not lost, on her enemies or her allies, and Kowloon almost shivered at the power of the creature he was facing. He tried to put some distance between himself and Tria, but the "hand" of the wing on his wrist held fast. He met the alien girl's gaze, her furious glare burning into him.

"I remember when we first met, at the tournament you went to a lot of trouble to sabotage." Tria said, somewhat sadistic, "I seem to recall that you caused some pain to a dear friend of mine. I think it's about time you receive the payback long due to you. Is that agreeable to you, Kowloon?" She bared her sharp teeth, her grin not a grin, and, using her wing, lifted the man into the air, above her head, and threw him across the room, roaring, "This is what you get for hurting Mei Lian!"

"You show him, Tria!" Mei Lian cheered happily.

Tria lunged at Kowloon, latching a clawed hand around his throat and slamming him to the floor as she growled, "You're not like Olga. You're a terrible human that finds sick enjoyment in the suffering of others." She then tossed him back into the shattered windshield of his Turf Shredder, perching on the claws at its front. "However, you do respect power. So, as a being with superior power, I order you, Kowloon, to flee this sub and the Parks connected by the warp portal at the front. Run, so that you no longer cause trouble for the Wardens." she continued, spreading her wings and hovering in the air, "Go."

"Heh heh heh." Kowloon laughed, "I was hoping to get revenge on you for all the times you've beaten me, but…" He continued when he saw Tria flexing her claws, "Even I know how to pick my battles. World domination sounded appealing when Dr. Blackraven talked about it, but now it's clear that I've been backing the wrong team. I'll go quietly this time, but I promise you, Tria, that the next time we meet, I WILL defeat you!" He then drove off, Tria shaking her head as she glided over to Olga, who was still sitting on the floor in a daze. Tria kneeled in front of the Russian woman, her tone much more gentle than when she was fighting Kowloon.

"Good afternoon, Olga. Have you rejoined us yet?" she asked, her voice calm and understanding. The dazed woman looked at her, ice-blue eyes narrowing suspiciously before they widened in surprise as she scooted backward.

"Moldy borscht! It is really you, Tria, with the weird look and the strength of many tigers! What are you wanting with me?"

Tria smiled, close-mouthed and non-threatening, and replied, "Nothing, except for you to be returned to your senses. A kind, gentle woman like you doesn't belong in a place like this."

The Wardens all looked at each other in confusion. Kind? Gentle? What was Tria talking about?

"Have you lost it, Tria?" Violet cried, "Olga's not gentle! She attacked you, remember?"

Tria ignored the psychic Warden, simply tilting her head as she continued to look at Olga expectantly.

"…Hmm?" Olga made a confused noise as she looked at the dinaurian, "Why…?"

The Wardens stepped past the Dinomatons, which were no longer blocking them, to hear what Olga was saying. The woman looked around, as if she had just woken up from a nap.

"Why am I taking orders from angry oaf?" she asked, looking at Tria as if for clarification. Everyone's confusion deepened, while Tria merely smiled.

"You have been lost for quite some time, Olga. I'm glad to see you've finally woken up."

Olga looked at Tria, her eyes widening as a look of recollection dawned on her. "I am remembering! Terrible man Dr. Blackraven made with the washbraining and turned me into slave!"

The Wardens all gasped as Olga practically scrambled to her knees, facing the girl who had freed her.

"I owe you many apologies, Tria. You have been treated most poorly." Olga apologized, bowing her head guiltily. She looked up when Tria chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, Olga." she said, getting to her feet and offering a clawed hand to her former enemy, "You weren't yourself. You're not to blame. Besides…" She grinned, playfully challenging, "It takes a lot more to hurt me than anything you've ever done!"

Olga smiled, allowing herself a quiet laugh as she took Tria's hand, letting herself be pulled upright. "You have my thanks, Tria. Now you must stop Dr. Blackraven from achieving vile plans of evil."

"I will." Tria replied determinedly, "And you must get out of here. There's a warp portal at the front of the Neo Black Whale. It'll take you to Fossil Park Asia. Where you go from there is up to you."

Olga looked shocked that she was just being let go without any punishment, but she didn't argue, simply nodding and getting into her Rock Crusher, driving away. As she drove, she called back, "Tria! Stop Dr. Blackraven! Do it for motherland! Do it for Olga!"

As the former BR lieutenant fled, Elric walked up to his friend, looking back at the retreating Bone Buggy as he said, "You're right. Someone like her doesn't belong here, although I am surprised you noticed. That brainwashing was quite thorough."

"All methods of mind control leave the same look of distance and vacancy in the eyes of the one being controlled. The only trouble is snapping them out of it." Tria replied, also watching Olga's Bone Buggy, which she could keep in sight longer than any human, before glaring at the silver-haired human and baring her teeth, "And speaking of people who shouldn't be here…"

The Wardens started as Tria lashed out at Elric, one flick of her wing sending him flying backward. He was caught by Toba, who bellowed at the dinaurian. Tria growled at the sauropod, her tail thrashing in agitation. She then inhaled, raising her head, and roared, the exact same voice she used to force everyone's vivosaurs back into their Dino Gears. Toba roared back, trying to stand up to the dinaurian, but she also remembered her smaller opponent's power, having faced her in battle numerous times, and relented, retreating into her Dino Gear and leaving her fighter unguarded.

"Aw. That wasn't very nice, Tria." Elric said, as cocky as ever, "You scared my poor Toba. Your Heaven's Call must have gotten stronger."

Tria snorted, snapping her fingers as she approached the human. At the non-verbal command, the Dinomatons seemed to implode, falling in on themselves so that they were little more than small metal boxes that then flew into Tria's hands. She stood in front of Elric, arms crossed, her stance not so much aggressive as irritated. She then opened her mouth and growled, a series of rumbling sounds leaving her throat. The humans were left confused, not knowing what she was saying. However, Elric, having known Tria for so long, understood her every word.

" _What were you thinking, bringing them here?!_ " Tria growled, glaring at him, " _I told you to leave the Wardens out of this, but you not only brought my fellow graduates, you also revealed confidential information to the others. Explain yourself!_ "

"Now, now, Tria. Don't be angry." Elric said soothingly, "You know as well as I do that we can't complete this mission on our own. We need help, and who better to ask than the Wardens you helped train?"

"Helped train?" Dahlia asked as the graduates looked from Tria to each other and back, "Tria was training us?"

"It's news to me." Leon said, shrugging.

"It makes sense, actually." Penny stated. Everyone looked at her for clarification. "Think about it. What kind of Wardens would we be without Tria? Leon would be a loner who wouldn't work with anyone. Dahlia would be racing ahead of everyone. Nate would be cowering in the background. Roland would be too indecisive to get anything done. And I would be too afraid of my friends getting hurt to focus on missions." Everyone nodded in agreement, looking back to the comrade who had trained them to be better Wardens without them even being aware of it. Penny smiled. "Tria is as much a mentor to us as she is a comrade. We owe her a lot."

While the newest Wardens had this mini-revelation, Tria and Elric continued to argue.

" _That's precisely why they can't help us!_ " she said, her voice not quite loud enough to be a shriek, but still fiercer than a hiss, " _Do you really think they'll be able to do what needs to be done?_ "

"That's another reason to keep the other Wardens connected." Elric retorted, "If we fail, they'll be ready to send reinforcements."

" _You should have brought the leaders from the beginning._ " Tria growled, " _They're more likely to complete the mission than the graduates. They have more experience._ "

"So are you saying you didn't want to see your friends?" Elric asked, intentionally putting Tria on the spot. The graduates looked at Tria expectantly.

"You know that's not what I meant." Tria barked back in a language the humans could understand before continuing in the ancient tongue, " _Still, you could've at least let them keep their delusion of my humanity._ "

"Is that really what you want?" Elric asked.

" _This isn't about what I want, you know that._ " Tria replied, " _This is going to cause a sense of distrust and betrayal between me and the Wardens, and I won't have a chance to mend this gap._ " She shook her head. " _I know you mean well, Elric, but you've only made this more difficult by revealing this information to them. Then again, it might help them complete this mission, because of this sense of betrayal._ " she said in a tone of sudden understanding, " _Was that your plan all along? That's quite devious, even for you._ "

"Of course not!" Elric cried indignantly, genuinely insulted by the accusation, "I would never be that manipulative, or 'devious', as you called it!"

"Ok, I'm lost." Mei Lian said, "Is he talking to himself? He just said Tria had 'said' something, but I didn't hear her say anything, except that one comment."

"Tria's been making growling and hissing sounds, but I can't hear them meaning anything." Becky observed.

"I think Tria IS talking." Leader Liu Ren said, "Remember? Elric said she speaks the language of dinosaurs and vivosaurs fluently. This must be what he meant."

"And since Elric's known her so long, it's only natural that he can understand her." Captain Stryker added.

"I wish I knew what she was saying." Violet stated.

"Maybe I can invent a translator!" Professor Little said, ideas already forming is his head.

The argument continued.

"I merely thought that, as your friends, they deserved to know who, and what, you really are." Elric defended, "Do you disagree?"

Tria growled, shaking her head as she responded. " _I don't, but are you sure it was the right thing to do? Had they been left in the dark, they would've continued to see me as an exceedingly skilled Warden and nothing more._ " She sighed. " _Now all I'll be is a liar and, to some, a traitor. They won't trust me now._ "

"Is that so?" Elric asked, walking over to the group of Wardens that had followed him into the Neo Black Whale. He asked, "Tell me, Wardens. Are you angry with Tria?"

The group looked at each other, then up at Tria, who had perched on Elric's Speed Demon, then back at Elric.

"Of course not!" Penny declared, almost sounding insulted, "Why should we? She's done nothing wrong!"

"Tria helped us become Wardens!" Nate added.

"And she's saved us many times!" Roland cried, sounding guilty about the Gorgo attack and the incident in the ancient past.

"Tria's also been there for us, no matter how little we deserved her kindness." Leon stated, smiling up at the girl in a rare display of humility.

"Tria's our friend! We wouldn't be mad over something like this!" Dahlia proclaimed, grinning as she ran up to the half-dinaurian, "Hey, Tria! Can I touch your wings? Can I, please?"

Tria looked at her friends, shocked and confused that they weren't mad at her for deceiving them for so long. As she jumped off of the vehicle and let her friends gather around her, she asked in a disbelieving voice, "Do you mean it? You're really not mad at me?"

"Of course!" Dahlia answered, as quick with her words as she was with her driving, "I told you! You're our friend! You've helped us in so many ways. We won't let something as little as this slow us down!"

"This isn't exactly a 'little' thing, Dahlia." Tria muttered as she watched the excited redhead run her hands over her left wing, extending it to give the girl better access, "I've lied to you. Ever since I got here, I've been lying to you all."

"Perhaps." Penny replied, running her fingers over Tria's other wing, "But you've also been an irreplaceable friend and an amazing Warden." She looked at her Asian comrades, stating, "I don't know about the others, but I'm glad you came here, no matter what you are or where you're from."

"It's not like we don't understand, Tria." Roland added, "If I were in your position, I would've probably tried to hide myself, too."

"Plus, your true form is AWESOME!" Nate added, pumping his fists in the air, "You kicked those BR guys' butts!"

"Uh…I guess that's true…" Tria mumbled, backing away slightly. She still wasn't used to being so affectionately doted on like she was when she was first born.

"Do you remember what you told me, Tria? When I asked you why you were willing to be my friend, even when I had treated you so badly?" Leon said to Tria, not really asking. He smiled gently. "You said that no one was perfect, and that we all would hurt each other and be hurt by each other at some point. You told me that the key to living together, to having friends, was to learn to forgive those who hurt you." He put his hands on the cool, smooth scales on the girl's shoulders and tilted his head, still smiling as he said, "It's true that you lied to us, and that hurt, but we've hurt you too, and you've stuck with us and helped us through our problems." Everyone gathered around their dinaurian friend, their expressions ranging from a kind, gentle smile (Penny) to a wide, ear-to-ear grin (Dahlia). "For that, we will always be your friends. We'll help you fit into our world, in your true form, and we'll always be here for you."

Tria looked around at her friends, tears forming in her eyes. She threw herself at Leon, who was still standing in front of her, and wrapped her wings around the entire group, pulling them all to her. "Thank you. All of you." she whispered, letting herself relax for a moment in their embrace even as another wave of sorrow washed over her.

While this emotional conversation was going on, Elric spoke into the radio in his Bone Buggy.

"And what about you, veteran Wardens? Do you hold ill-will towards Tria for hiding her true identity?"

Tria's ears twitched as she registered the question, but she didn't mention it to her friends, who couldn't hear it. She listened secretly; she knew the Wardens at HQ didn't know she could hear them.

Back at HQ, the veteran Wardens looked at each other.

"Well, it's true that Tria's been lying to us…" Leader Sean muttered, his American pride not liking that he'd been deceived.

"But has she, actually?" Becky asked suddenly, making everyone look at her, "I mean, yeah, she's been hiding her true species, or at least half of it, but we never actually asked her what her species was. We never thought to." When she saw she had their attention, she continued, "I mean, yeah, she ran when her disguise failed in Starry Falls, but if I'm being honest, if I had been in her situation, I probably would've run, too." She looked at her brother, placing a steadying hand on his arm. "I know you don't like being fooled, Sean, but can you really blame Tria?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, her assumptions on how we would've reacted, had she revealed herself immediately, are probably true." Leader Liu Ren said grimly, "We wouldn't have let her into the Wardens, or if we did, we'd have kept her under strict supervision. That, I cannot deny, and it shames me."

"Can't argue with you there." Professor Little said guiltily, "I probably would've kept her in my lab during most of her time here."

"But I can't see any malice in her." Violet said, clutching her wand, "She's been on our side the whole time!"

"I have seen no signs of suspicious behavior." Hanzo declared, and as a trained ninja, he would know.

"Plus it's Tria!" Mei Lian yelled, slamming her hands on her desk, "She's a Warden! She's our friend! She's our Paleo Pal! That's that!"

"I…I can't be mad at Tria." Leader Drake whispered, shrinking back and averting his gaze from the eyes now focused on him, "I can…be myself around her…in a way…"

Leader Sean looked around at his comrades, all of whom supported Tria, and sighed.

"Sean?" Becky asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I know, Becks." he said, looking from his sister to his fellow Wardens, "I can't be mad at Tria, either." He smiled, not quite a grin yet, "She may have deceived us, but she's also done more for us than we could ever hope to repay." He finally flashed his trademark bright, gleaming grin. "Tria has our full support!"

"You heard him, Elric." Captain Stryker said, nodding in approval, "Tria may not be entirely human, but she's still a Warden, and we'll remain behind her, no matter what." He then added somewhat-hastily, "But when she gets back, she'll still be facing disciplinary action for her deceit and rebellious attitude."

As some of the other Wardens argued with the Captain for this decision, Elric allowed himself a small, sad smile. Tria returned that smile with one of her own, finally folding her wings, despite her friends' protests (they weren't done petting her 'really, really soft' wings yet), returning them to their cloaked façade.

"As much as I would love to continue this reunion." she said, "We have to get moving. Nibbles is still waiting."

"Right!" Penny cried, ashamed that, in light of Elric's story, she'd forgotten the real reason they were there, "We have to save Nibbles!"

"But where is he?" Roland asked, "We've driven all over this thing and haven't seen him."

"In here." Tria replied, looking up at the door the BR lieutenants had been guarding, "This is Blackraven's chamber."

"How can you tell?" Leon asked, standing next to the girl.

Tria wrinkled her nose. "I'd know that sickening stench of greed and darkness anywhere."

"You can smell Dr. Blackraven?" Nate exclaimed in awe. When Tria nodded, his eyes sparkled.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dahlia asked rhetorically, "Let's get going!"

"Hold up, everyone!" Elric called to the young Wardens, "That door is heavily built, and it's shut tight. Our Bone Buggies aren't getting through it."

"Then how are we going to get to Nibbles?" Penny asked, getting worried.

Elric smiled, getting back into his Bone Buggy and signaling for the others to do the same. "Tria?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tria replied, jumping back to stand right in front of her friends' Bone Buggies. She then took up a battle stance and, to the shock of everyone watching, lunged toward the door, running faster than even Dahlia's Speed Demon. She then jumped at the door and slammed her fist into it, causing even the heavy metal to bend and cave in the face of the dinaurian's power. As the door flew off into the hallway beyond, Tria turned back to her friends and gestured for them to follow her.

"Road's clear. Let's go!" she said, running off and leaving the Wardens stunned.

"Sh-She really w-was the one who w-wrecked those d-d-doors." Nate stuttered, trembling.

"Of course." Elric said, "Who else could've done it?" He then drove forward, leading the other dazed humans down the long hallway, "Don't wet yourself yet. You haven't seen anything close to Tria's true power."

The three Asian Wardens gulped, the American Warden whistled, and the European Warden laughed with adrenaline. They drove deeper into the Neo Black Whale, following their friend and comrade as she ran into a dangerous battle, just as she had been trained to do so long ago.


	37. Tria vs Nibbles?

When the group of Wardens entered the darkened chamber in the deepest section of the Neo Black Whale, they were faced with the modified Heavy Hauler of Dr. Blackraven.

"Ah. You're finally here, Tria. And you brought your little Warden friends with you." the mad doctor said smugly, not even turning his Bone Buggy to face them, "I'm impressed you made it this far, being so young and all. Or rather, I would be, but knowing you were sent from the past specifically to defeat me makes that a lot less surprising. In fact, I'm honored that I'm considered such a threat that the Wardens need help from warriors of the past just to stop me."

"Don't flatter yourself." Tria growled. Dr. Blackraven ignored her.

"But if you think you can arrest me as Stryker did, you are sorely mistaken!" he declared, "Because THIS time I have a secret weapon! And all shall tremble in fear at the might of my ultimate dark vivosaur!" The madman then drove over to the far wall of his chamber, commanding confidently, "Dreadsaurus! Come forth!"

The Wardens gasped as the zigzag pattered in the wall opened, revealing the corrupted form of Nibbles. His normally-red body was dark purple in color, and it had lost its metallic gleam. The teal gems on his neck were a brighter shade of purple. His claws, stomach, and lower jaw were yellow, and his hateful eyes were bloody red. The Dreadsaurus roared at its designated opponents, stalking forward.

"Oh no…" Nate whimpered, his terror mixed with sadness as he remembered how the vivosaur had saved him in the ancient past.

"Poor Nibbles…" Penny sobbed.

"What are we going to do?" Roland asked fearfully.

"What else can we do?" Leon replied, "We're gonna fight!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Dahlia yelled confidently, readying her Pachy for battle. Before any of the Wardens could release their vivosaurs, however, Elric drove in front of them, Tria once again perched on the front of his Speed Demon.

"Sorry, Wardens." Elric told them through the radio, "But this isn't your fight."

"Please forgive me, guys." Tria said over her friends' angry protests. She jumped onto Penny's pink Digger's Rig, addressing them, "But as the one assigned to take care of Nibbles, it's my responsibility to get him back. So please, leave this battle to me."

The group looked at each other through their screens, then at the image of the Captain, who they knew could hear what Tria had said.

"…As much as I don't like the thought of leaving one of my Wardens to fight alone, especially against an opponent as powerful as the Dreadsaurus, I think this is probably our best bet. Nibbles is closest to Tria, so facing her is more likely to bring him back." the Captain said, increasing the volume of his voice as he addressed Tria directly, "Tria. Will Nibbles recognize you in your true form?"

"He will." Tria answered just as loudly, "He's seen my true form before, and he could sense it even before then."

Captain Stryker nodded, ordering the dinaurian Warden, "Then go, Tria, and bring Nibbles back to us!"

"Sir!" Tria replied, giving the Captain a final salute before flying over to stand in front of the ultimate dark vivosaur.

"It was so kind of Stryker to leave the dark energy crystallized inside him." Dr. Blackraven continued to brag, "But I've managed to fill him with more…and more…and MORE! Soon his heart will be gone altogether! Kindness? Compassion? All these pathetic traits will be eliminated! He will be the ultimate weapon!" He laughed maniacally. "Now strike, Dreadsaurus! Show this pitiful creature that the friendship you once shared means nothing in the face of my power!"

Tria snorted at the man's arrogance. "Power? What would someone like you know about power?" She began glowing with an opalescent light as she roared, "I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT TRUE POWER IS!"

"Hey, Elric." Leon said to the enigmatic boy, "Are you sure Tria can handle this? I mean, she's strong, but this in on a whole 'nother level from the other dark vivosaurs we've faced."

"Of course." Elric replied, looking back at the Wardens confidently, "I told you; Tria trained herself by facing the strongest vivosaur teams of the past. Teams of vivosaurs commanded by some of the best fighters the world has ever known, each fighter controlling three. Tria's not going to fall easily."

"Yeah…" Roland muttered, "But…"

"This is Nibbles!" Penny cried, "Tria can't hurt Nibbles!"

"I thought you would've figured this out by now…" Elric sighed in disappointment, "Tria's enemy isn't Nibbles. She isn't attacking him."

"But then how is she supposed to win?!" Dahlia exclaimed, starting to panic, "Nibbles is attacking her! How is she going to win if she doesn't fight back?!"

"That's where you're wrong, my friend." Elric responded calmly, "Tria's going to fight back, but not against Nibbles."

"Then…" Nate squeaked in confusion, "How…?"

"Because Nibbles isn't attacking her." Elric explained, tone bordering on frustration, "The dark energy is."

The Wardens gawked at the silver-haired male as he continued to explain, "When dark energy enters a creature's body, it corrupts that body and takes control of it. So basically, the dark energy takes possession of the body it's injected into and uses that body for its own purposes." He looked at all of the Wardens and nodded, his gaze hardening in determination. "That is our mission, mine and Tria's. Our enemy isn't Dr. Blackraven or the Dreadsaurus, but the dark energy itself. That's what we're here to destroy."

The Wardens 'oh'ed in amazement. Captain Stryker spoke up.

"Even so." he said, "The Dreadsaurus is stronger than any other dark vivosaur ever created. Zinodious and Gorgostroika are nothing compared to it, and Tria still needed the help of those mechanical vivosaurs to take them down."

Elric laughed. "Tria was just showing off, using those machines. She didn't really need them. Although…" he continued before the Captain could interrupt him, "You are right that Tria doesn't stand a chance against the dark energy in her current form."

"Then what are we just sitting here for?!" Leon exclaimed, "We have to help Tria!"

"Did you not hear what I just said?!" Elric yelled, startling the other humans, "You Wardens need to work on your listening skills. I said Tria doesn't stand a chance in her current form."

"Tria has another form?" Penny voiced everyone's question, "I thought this was her true form."

"It is." Elric assured her and the other Wardens, "But Tria's among the caste of dinaurians that has a third form."

"Caste?" Leader Liu Ren asked through the radio. Elric nodded.

"Dinaurians are broken up into castes. The lowest castes, like civilians or even regular soldiers, fight using their own strength and, in the case of the soldiers, Dinomatons. But the higher castes, the royalty, have a specific bloodline that allows a third form, and Tria's mother is of this caste."

"And that form can save Nibbles?" Penny asked hopefully, looking at Tria's glowing form.

"That form can save the world." Elric replied confidently as the light seemed to get brighter, "This is the form in which Tria trained against the powerful vivosaur teams of our age. Tria's battle form: the Dragon of Light."

The humans, on both sides, stared at the brightening light that enveloped the half-dinaurian. No, it wasn't brightening; it was growing! Her head and neck elongated, resembling a Coelophysis, with thick, dark blue fur travelling down her neck, back, and tail. Her arms lengthened so that they almost touched the floor, razor-sharp black talons gleaming. Her powerful back legs raised her lean, agile body to tower over the humans and their vehicles. Her long, whip-like tail thrashed in anger, the dark blue tip even cracking like a whip. Her snow-white scales seemed to sparkle with the light of her transformation, her dark blue stomach and black claws looking even darker in comparison. Her massive blue wings extended over even the Dreadsaurus, despite her body only being half its size. The Dragon of Light roared at her adversary, declaring her resolve to eliminate the monster from this world. The Dreadsaurus roared back, the will of the dark energy challenging the dinaurian directly.

Tria flapped her wings and leapt into the air, the massive chamber allowing her to soar over the corrupted vivosaur. She landed on its back, skillfully evading the large spines, and sank her claws into its neck.

"Shake her off, Dreadsaurus!" Dr. Blackraven commanded, "You are the ultimate dark vivosaur! You can't fall to this half-human!"

The Dreadsaurus roared, thrashing about wildly. It swung its claws over its head, forcing Tria to jump to evade it. Her golden eyes narrowed as the light blue iris focused on her opponent. With the grace and agility brought about by years of training and experience, she twisted mid-air and opened her jaws, firing a blast of white fire at the dark vivosaur. The flames consumed it, causing it to scream in pain.

"Whoa…" the watching Wardens chorused.

"Angel's Fire." Elric said fondly. At the confused looks he received, he elaborated, "That's the name of the move she just used. Tria has an entire moveset, like vivosaurs." He chuckled at the gawking expressions of the other humans. "She even has a Boost Skill."

Tria roared, ignoring the humans. In the primal narrow-mindedness of her battle form, she was only focused on her opponent. She launched herself forward, dodging the dark vivosaur's claws again and landing a solid kick to its exposed flank. However, before she could jump back, the Dreadsaurus, in a sudden burst of speed fueled by the dark energy, slashed his claws across her chest, spilling her blood on the chamber floor.

"Tria!" the Wardens cried in concern. Elric looked on curiously.

Tria roared, too experienced a fighter to let such a shallow wound faze her. She flew up and opened her jaws again, this time releasing a sparkling white mist that blanketed the battlefield.

"What's this?" Dahlia asked, reaching to roll her window down so she could feel the mist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Dahlia." Elric said, stopping her, "That's Tria's Divine Mist. It's a move that throws anyone who inhales it into a dizzy confusion. It can bring even giant sauropods like my Toba to their knees, and look what it's done to the Dreadsaurus."

The dark vivosaur in question was staggering around the chamber, seeming to no longer know what its target was supposed to be. It focused its reddened eyes on the Wardens and stalked toward them. It swung its claws at the American and European Wardens, along with their guide, but Tria shielded them, earning her another gash on her leg, followed by one on her opposite arm when she protected the Asian Wardens. The dinaurian slammed into the dark vivosaur, an effort made easier by his dizziness, and as it staggered backward, she roared again, this time taking on the familiar sound of the super predator in Dusty Steppes, the same roar that drove the Wardens' vivosaurs fleeing into the their Dino Gears in terror.

"Is that…" Leon and Becky almost squeaked in unison.

"That's the sound that scared all our vivosaurs away!" Nate cried.

"That's Heaven's Call." Elric replied simply, "It's when Tria gathers all of her natural intimidation and authority and projects it in a roar. Most vivosaurs become scared and will do whatever she tells them to, which is usually to go away or stand down." He then smirked. "It seems to not be very effective against dark vivosaurs, though. Will you grace us with a view of that move, Tria?"

Tria growled, almost as if replying to the human's question, as her scales began to glow. The light quickly brightened to become blinding, forcing the humans to shield their eyes.

Elric laughed in thrilled excitement at the memories of battling with Tria, because whether as opponent or ally, she always brought a rush to the battlefield. He put on the pair of sunglasses he had taken to carrying with him as he said, "And now for the last attack in Tria's moveset: Blinding Strike."

Tria roared again, her eyes fully golden with the light of her power, and lunged at the Dreadsaurus, striking at it multiple times and sending it crashing to the chamber floor. The Dreadsaurus struggled to get to its feet, shaking its head as it roared in distress. Dr. Blackraven drove forward as the light from Tria's scales faded.

"What is the meaning of this? Finish that fool already!" he yelled, "Curse you, Dreadsaurus! Your master is speaking! Obey my command and destroy that pathetic dinaurian, or I will destroy YOU!"

Tria bellowed at that, the ancient phrase translating to, "No way, rodent!" She placed herself between the madman and his Dreadsaurus, growling at him threateningly.

"Tria! Look out!" Roland cried as the Dreadsaurus approached the dinaurian. However, instead of attacking, the vivosaur stopped and tilted its head, growling with some kind of familiarity.

"Wh-What are you doing?! Get out of my way!" Dr. Blackraven commanded the dinaurian. The dinaurian simply snapped at him, continuing the defiance that defined her nature in so many ways. The Dreadsaurus shook its head and roared again, as if fighting an unseen enemy. Dr. Blackraven glared at the dinaurian that had caused him so much trouble and loaded a Dino Gear into his Heavy Hauler. "Shame. I remember a time when a crazed despot could rely on his creations. But perhaps the old ways are still best in some cases." He launched the Dino Gear. "Go, Giganto! Destroy that dinaurian!"

The large darkened carnivore roared, eager for a chance to fight again. His time on the field was short-lived, however, when he was defeated and sent back to his Dino Gear by the rolling form of the Dreadsaurus.

"Wha-?" several of the Wardens gasped.

"The Dreadsaurus protected Tria?!" others cried in shock.

"How dare you defy me?!" Dr. Blackraven yelled, enraged, "You were to have been my triumph!"

The Dreadsaurus ignored him and turned around to face Tria, looking conflicted. Tria growled gently to it, and the Dreadsaurus growled back, sounding more and more like Nibbles. Tria roared, sounding hopeful and desperate at the same time, and the Dreadsaurus roared in response, beginning to glow. His form grew even larger, transforming into a completely new and unrecognizable vivosaur.

He had a large head that was metallically red and armored. His stomach and lower jaw were silver, he had long forearms that could easily touch the ground with long golden claws and a golden nosehorn, and he had ice-blue crystals on his head, arms, legs, and tail. His green eyes widened in recognition when he looked at Tria before he turned around and spat out a dark crystal that was overflowing with dark energy.

"What happened?!" Nate cried.

"I think Nibbles came back to us." Captain Stryker said, smiling at the screen, "Tria did it."

"That's the crystallized dark energy!" Professor Little exclaimed.

"I don't believe this…" Dr. Blackraven muttered disbelievingly, "That stupid lizard had crystallized the dark energy in his body and has abandoned it on his own! The power of my evil science is losing to…to FRIENDSHIP! This disgusting treacle is enough to make my breakfast hit the wall!" He then grabbed the crystallized dark energy with the claw on his Bone Buggy and drove through a portal, proclaiming, "But I'm not done yet!"

"Nibbles?" Penny squeaked as she and the other humans stepped forward, "Is it…you?"

"Graw-ooo!" the massive carnivore howled, shrinking into his normal from. He ran over to Tria as she reverted back to her normal form as well, jumping enthusiastically into her arms.

" _Hey there, buddy. It's good to see you again._ " she growled gently, stroking his head as the humans gathered around them.

" _You're hurt!_ " Nibbles whined in distress, " _I hurt you! I'm so sorry!_ " His large green eyes filled with tears as he licked the wound on her arm.

" _No, little one._ " Tria purred, embracing her small friend, " _The dark energy hurt me. You were merely the tool it used to do so. You are not at fault._ "

"We're glad to have you back, Nibbles!" Penny cried happily, smiling through her own tears.

"We were worried about you!" Roland added.

"And don't worry, we won't let them take you again." Leon assured the small vivosaur.

"Yeah! We're gonna finish this together!" Dahlia declared.

Nate stared down at the little red vivosaur, who had been such a big pain in his behind since the day they'd found him. "Yeah…" he muttered hesitantly, "Welcome back, can-chomper."

Nibbles looked around at the humans around him, growling happily at them. Tria smiled at the spectacle, Nibbles dancing around joyfully in the middle of the group of humans he'd once hated. Elric walked over to his childhood friend, helping her stand shakily. The wound on her leg hurt her, but she hid her pain well.

"Are you okay, Tria?" the silver-haired male asked, eyeing the half-dinaurian in concern. Tria snorted.

"Elric…" Tria sighed, putting her uninjured arm around his shoulders and following with her wing, "You know better than to worry about my condition. It'll just make things harder for you in the finale."

Elric smiled sadly. "I know, but I can't help it. We've known each other for so long. It's hard to believe that our time together will soon be ending."

"Hard to believe?" Tria asked knowingly, "Or hard to accept?"

Elric laughed, though it sounded strained. "Both." he replied, "We need to hurry, before I lose my resolve."

"I agree." Tria said, approaching the other Wardens, "Come on, guys. We need to chase after Blackraven."

"We'll show him what happens when you mess with the Wardens!" Leon declared, getting into his Turf Shredder while Dahlia climbed into her Speed Demon.

"We can do it!" Roland said confidently, exchanging a grin with Nate.

"As long as Tria's here, we can do anything!" Nate agreed whole-heartedly, not noticing Tria and Elric cringe.

"Are you all right, Tria?" Penny asked, having noticed the girl's pained expression, but misinterpreting it, "You're still hurt."

"I'm fine, Penny." Tria insisted, patting the other girl's back, "These wounds won't trouble me for long." She then jumped into Elric's Speed Demon, speaking quickly into the radio before any of the Wardens could take notice of her actions. Elric exchanged a look with Tria, not entirely knowing what she was planning but trusting her enough not to question her. Tria then grabbed Nibbles and hovered in front of her friends, speaking so that they could hear her through the windows of their Bone Buggies.

"All right, guys. This is the final battle. We're ending this evil plot once and for all! Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" her friends cheered. Tria smiled.

"Good. I'm counting on you."

She then flew into the portal that Dr. Blackraven had escaped through, her friends following close behind. Nibbles looked up at his best friend's face, unable to shake the feeling of unease and dread at the cold, hardened determination and resolve shown there, resolve reflected in the eyes of her childhood friend.


	38. Fallen Angel

When Tria and her friends exited the portal, they found themselves on the roof of the Neo Black Whale. The submarine had apparently resurfaced, and the stormy clouds and sea tossed the massive pod around violently.

"I spent five long years in that dank cell…" Dr. Blackraven mumbled grimly, his Bone Buggy facing away from the group, "And for what? My time machine, gone! My Dreadsaurus, reverted! My plans lie in ruins around me…" He turned around suddenly. "AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" he screamed at Tria, "You! The meddling little Warden who dogged me at every step!" He then laughed maniacally. "But this isn't over! Oh no! The world will still be mine! Mine, I tell you! Bwaaa ha ha ha!"

"Give it up, Dr. Blackraven!" Leon yelled, bold as ever, "You've got nowhere left to run!"

"Run?" Dr. Blackraven laughed again, "Oh, I don't intend to run!" The claw held up the dark crystal. "This crystal is filled with obscene amounts of dark energy! And I'm gonna use it to turn myself into the ultimate weapon!"

"WHAT?!" the Wardens screamed.

"No! Don't do that!" Roland cried.

"Have you completely lost it?!" Dahlia yelled, panicking.

"Do you know what that'd do you?!" Penny asked, her voice high with fear.

"Oh, sure, I'll lose my emotions and become one with destruction and hate." Dr. Blackraven answered dismissively, "Probably never love again and so forth…"

"No, you fool!" Elric called out angrily, "You'll become a tool of the dark energy! You won't lose your emotions; you'll lose yourself! You'll just become a vessel used for the dark energy's further growth!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Dr. Blackraven bellowed, his despair at having been thwarted making him delusional, "A world that will not yield to me is a world that does not deserve to exist!"

"This is bad! Call Captain Stryker!" Roland yelled fearfully.

"I'm trying!" Nate cried desperately, "We've lost contact with Warden HQ!"

"Bwaaa ha ha ha ha!" Dr. Blackraven laughed, "Now I shall claim the power of the dark energy for myself!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Tria yelled, taking her battle form once more. She roared in challenge.

"Hmph. You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Dr. Blackraven said, irritated, "Giganto! Keep her busy!"

The released carnivore roared at the dinaurian, his massive form blocking the path, but Tria didn't seem concerned. Instead, she began glowing with a bright purifying light. It wasn't a piercing light like her Blinding Strike, but it was far more violent. Even the darker parts of her body glowed white, as did her eyes. She spread her wings and, with a single flap, blew the large vivosaur away, its Dino Gear landing at the top of the submarine. The powerful gust of wind also disrupted Dr. Blackraven as his Heavy Hauler was slammed into the sub's watchtower.

"Whoa…What happened to Tria?" Penny almost whispered as she and the other Wardens gaped at their friend.

Elric smiled, his fondness for his childhood friend showing almost as brightly as the glowing half-dinaurian herself even as his eyes clouded with tears. "That…is Tria's Boost Skill. She's gathering all of her energy and releasing it all at once. Tria's going all out for this fight, because she knows she won't get another chance."

Tria slammed into Dr. Blackraven's Bone Buggy, biting down on the claw that held the crystallized dark energy.

"What do you mean, Elric?" Roland asked, sounding terrified.

"This is our last chance to stop Dr. Blackraven?!" Dahlia cried disbelievingly.

"No." Elric replied gravely, "You all will get another chance to stop Dr. Blackraven if he escapes. Tria will not."

"What do you mean by that, Elric?" Leon asked, becoming increasingly suspicious even as cold dread set in.

"Yeah! Why does Tria only get one more chance?" Nate asked, his innocent naivety heart-breaking.

Tria managed to knock the dark crystal out of Dr. Blackraven's claw, tossing it into the air.

"Tria came here to rid the world of that dark energy. I came here to help her." Elric explained, "Dark energy is manifested hatred and rage; it will not simply go away."

"Then how do you plan to get rid of it?" Leon yelled, frustrated with Elric's roundabout method of explanation. Elric looked up, still smiling sorrowfully.

"Do you want to know the name of Tria's Boost Skill?" he asked rhetorically, "It's called 'Wrath of the Guardian'. Tria is compassionate and understanding, while still being firm with those under her protection and care. She also has so little darkness within her that she'd qualify as a saint. This aspect of her personality makes her key to this mission, and as cruel as that reality may be, there is nothing that can be done to change it."

"What are you saying, Elric?" Penny asked. Now she was getting nervous. "What does Tria's personality have to do with getting rid of the dark energy?"

"In order to destroy the dark energy, it must first be contained in something with enough purity and light to counter it. And then…" Elric swallowed his sorrow before finishing, "The container must be destroyed, with the dark energy still inside."

The Wardens and vivosaurs alike gasped in horror and disbelief, staring at the silver-haired boy from the past, as if hoping he's say he was joking. Elric just watched Tria fly up after the dark crystal and open her jaws, no hesitation in any of her movements. She was going to see this through to the end.

"Do you get it now, Wardens? Why Tria wanted to come alone? Why she didn't want any of you to be here? Why she was crying when she left?" Elric asked, his eyes never leaving Tria's glowing form as the tears he'd been holding back for so long fell down his face, "Tria didn't just come here to save this world."

He watched as Tria's jaws closed around the dark energy.

"She came here to die for it."

Suddenly, a piercing shriek sliced through the stormy atmosphere. All eyes turned to the heavens as Tria's rapidly-darkening figure fell. Her brilliant white scales were quickly turning pitch black as the light from her Boost Skill faded. Her dark blue wings, fur, and stomach turned a dark purple, while her claws turned red. The bloody red also consumed her golden eyes, the gentle orbs becoming harsher as hatred and rage filled them. The darkened dinaurian shrieked again, sending herself into an inescapable spin as she fell toward the submarine.

"Tria!" Dahlia screamed, her eyes wide and terrified.

"Tria, no!" Penny sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

"Tria!" Roland cried, gripping his steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Nate was speechless, too sad to speak and too scared to cry.

"Elric, you bastard!" Leon yelled, his grief fueling his anger as he turned on the other boy, "How could you let her go through with this?! You've been her friend longer than we have, so how could you let Tria kill herself?!"

"You think I wanted this to happen?!" Elric snapped back, the venom-soaked blade his tongue had become startling everyone, "I told you, this reality is cruel, that someone as wonderful and loved as Tria has to be sacrificed, but there was nothing that anyone could've done to change this. It was either Tria or this world, and no matter what any of us think, you know what Tria chose."

The conversation between the Wardens and the Space-Time Engineer was abruptly cut off by the violent jolt of the submarine as Tria crashed, a sickening crunch echoing as she landed on one of her wings. The humans all watched in horror as her flailing back legs tore through her other wing, ripping the thin membrane to shreds and dislodging the wing's wrist joint. She then staggered to her feet, swaying unsteadily.

"Tria…" a couple of the young Wardens sobbed, while others clenched their teeth to bite back their own whimpers. Their grieving was interrupted by a familiar laugh.

"Well, this seems to have worked out quite well for me." Dr. Blackraven said, driving forward, "She's no Dreadsaurus, but she'll do. This dinaurian will become my new ultimate weapon! BWAAA HA HA HA HA!"

"Don't be so sure." Elric warned the madman, "Tria hasn't forgotten you yet. She isn't far enough gone to forget your deeds, Dr. Blackraven, although she has lost enough of her compassion to do something about it."

The corrupted dinaurian roared viciously, turning to face the madman that had started this mess. He put his Heavy Hauler in reverse, trying to escape the enraged creature's attack, but it was futile. Tria reared her head back, narrowing her blood-red eyes, and fired a blast of black flames at Dr. Blackraven. The man screamed in agony as the Devil's Fire consumed him, reducing him and his Bone Buggy to ashes. By the time the flames faded, not a trace of them remained, except for the blackened ash that was then blown into the furious ocean. With its main target gone, the Dragon of Darkness turned on the only other living beings on the Neo Black Whale: the Wardens and their vivosaurs.

"Tria, stop!" Penny cried.

"Don't you remember us?!" Roland asked, almost sounding betrayed.

"Snap out of it, Tria!" Leon ordered, as if hoping his voice would bring her back.

"Wake up!" Nate begged desperately.

"Get a hold of yourself, Tria!" Dahlia called to the dinaurian, "You would never attack us! You're better than that!"

"Grrr!" Nibbles growled, running up to the body of the girl who had saved him from becoming a weapon, who had shown him the good side of the world. The girl who was now doomed to suffer in the grip of the very same darkness she had saved him from. " _Tria! The madman is gone! You saved us! You can come back now!_ "

The Dragon of Darkness screeched in anger, stomping forward in an attempt to crush the little vivosaur. It then staggered backward as it was hit by the head of the Water-type Toba Titanosaur. The sauropod bellowed at her opponent, sounding mournful.

"What do you think you're doing, Nibbles?!" Elric yelled, "You cannot approach that thing so carelessly! Tria has no control over her body anymore; you of all creatures should know that!"

" _But…_ " Nibbles whimpered, his eyes lost in a sea of despair.

"What can we do?!" Dahlia cried, looking at Elric desperately, "How do we bring her back?!"

"Are you Wardens all deaf or something?!" Elric barked, the lack of cooperation from the Wardens and their familiars only adding to his sorrow, "I told you; our mission was to destroy the dark energy, and the only way to do that is to capture it in a pure container and then destroy that container! Tria's body is the container, and now it must be destroyed!"

"WHAT?!"

"No way!"

"Impossible!"

"We are not killing Tria!"

"And even if we would, we can't! She's too strong!"

"Do all Wardens take their word so lightly?" Elric snapped, his voice low and dangerous, "Have you forgotten why you came here in the first place? You said you wanted to help Tria."

"We never agreed to kill her!" Leon argued, his eyes defiant.

"That's the only way to help her!" Elric replied, "She sacrificed herself for this world; don't let her sacrifice be in vain!"

The Wardens all exchanged glances with each other, unwilling to attack their closest friend and comrade. Elric sighed, looking back to the battle between Toba and the Dragon.

"I guess Tria was right. She told me you wouldn't be able to follow through with this mission."

"Damn right we won't!" Leon replied simply, "We have to save her!"

Suddenly, five Dino Gears flew out of Penny's Digger's Rig, glowing as the vivosaurs were released.

"Penny?! What are you doing?!" Nate cried.

"That wasn't me!" Penny denied, "They flew out on their own!"

"Those are…" Roland whispered as five familiar vivosaurs materialized on the field next to Toba.

" _You Wardens are all so weak!_ " Lythro roared in frustration, although his grief was still there, " _Now I remember why I left them!_ "

" _Yeah. We vivosaurs do all the work anyway._ " Thalasso agreed, hovering right at eye level with the darkened creature that was glaring at them.

" _It's not entirely their fault, though._ " Stego's gentle voice defended the humans, " _Even though they're not fighting directly, they're still giving orders to the ones fighting. They feel like their vivosaurs are extensions of themselves. Is that really so horrible?_ "

" _I don't think they can see what we see, either._ " Diplo added, even as he swallowed his grief, " _Lady Tria's not here anymore. This monster is all that's left._ "

Gorgo snorted, turning around to address the Wardens directly.

" _Lady Tria spoke to us about this before she left. She knew she was going to die, and that she would then need to be killed. She had hoped to not have to put us through the trauma of having to kill her ourselves, but she prepared us in case the situation arose._ "

Elric translated what Gorgo had said for the other humans, before responding, "She prepared you to battle her?"

" _Yes. Or rather, she prepared us to battle the monster she's become._ " Gorgo replied, " _However, we could not defeat her in sparring, so, alone, we won't be able to defeat her here. We still need help._ "

"I'm afraid help may not be willing to come." Elric replied sadly, "You may have to do what you can on your own. Toba and I will do what we can, but even that may not be enough."

"You're not alone, Elric!" a sudden voice called through the radio.

"We stand with you, as representatives of the Wardens!" a second voice added.

"Captain Stryker!" Nate exclaimed.

"And Professor Little!" Roland cried.

The Captain's Digger's Rig landed on the submarine's roof from the portal leading from Dr. Blackraven's chamber. Two Dino Gears immediately flew from the vehicles, the simultaneous flashes of light signaling the release of Spino ST and Argento. The two high-ranking vivosaurs roared and joined Toba and Tria's team in trying to subdue the dark dinaurian.

"What's going on here?!" the Captain yelled, "Why are you all just sitting there?! Can't you see how dangerous this creature is?!"

"B-But…" Dahlia squeaked pitifully.

"Captain…" Leon mumbled, stricken with grief, "That's Tria…"

"We know." the Professor said sadly, "Tria gave us a quick debriefing on the plan before she disabled communications."

"Tria disabled our communications?!" Nate cried in betrayed confusion, "Why?!"

"So that the rest of the Wardens wouldn't have to see her death unnecessarily." the Captain replied, "She wanted as few people to see her like this as possible." He raised his voice at the hesitating Wardens. "That doesn't matter now! Why aren't you doing anything?!"

"But…" Penny sobbed.

"This is Tria!" Leon yelled adamantly, "We can't kill Tria!"

"Look at that thing!" the Captain bellowed angrily, "Does that monster look like Tria to you?!"

The Wardens watched as the Dragon of Darkness swatted at Thalasso, sending him flying before knocking Lythro into Spino ST with its whip-like tail. It then countered Gorgo's Primal Roar with the Call of Hell, cancelling out the Fire-type's attack completely. After overpowering Stego's Blade Barrage and Argento's Summit Drain with the Condemned Mist, it kicked Diplo away as he tried to use his Rolling Whip to trip it. The corrupted creature shrieked, enraged, reddened eyes filled with an agonizing amount of hatred and bloodlust.

"I know this body once belonged to Tria, and that's why you don't want to hurt it." Captain Stryker said, more gentle and understanding this time.

"But Tria doesn't have control over it anymore." Professor Little continued, "It's no longer hers."

"Listen to me, Wardens." Elric said, "Even if you do help us fight, you won't be attacking Tria. I told you before, our original enemy wasn't Dr. Blackraven, nor the Dreadsaurus, but the dark energy itself. Tria was fighting the dark energy from the very beginning. Even when she consumed it, or rather, just before it consumed her, she crippled and weakened her own body so that, when the dark energy finally overcame her, we would have a better chance of defeating it." Elric looked at the crying faces of the Warden graduates, at the hardened masks of determination worn by the other two Wardens, and concluded, "You don't have to worry about killing Tria, because she's already dead. You just have to stop her body and free her spirit from the darkness that binds it."

The group of young Wardens didn't say anything. They looked at the Dragon of Darkness, the creature that had once been their best friend and most reliable comrade, as it rampaged against the vivosaurs that had once been its closest allies. They looked down at the Dino Gears that held their own vivosaurs, feeling the comfort, reassurance, and shared grief radiating from them. After a few seconds, one Dino Gear was released, with another following, and then another, the series of bright lights announcing the five vivosaurs of the newest Warden graduates. Hypsi, Tricera, Edapho, Ptera, and Pachy all called out a battle challenge to the Dragon of Darkness, their rage fueled by the suffering the dark energy was causing their beloved fighters. They charged forward, joining the other vivosaurs in the joint assault against the dark energy.

"Hypsi! Soothing Song!" Penny called through her tears. The small Fire-type sang beautifully, distracting the Dragon.

"Tricera! Horn Rush!" Roland practically sobbed. The large herbivore roared with protective fury as he rammed into the Dragon's side.

"Edapho! Tornado Sail!" Nate yelled, his voice trembling badly. The small sailed vivosaur growled and spun through the air, slamming his sail into the Dragon's head and knocking it off balance.

"Ptera! Chaos Twister!" Leon ordered, his grief and despair clear. Ptera shrieked and flapped his powerful wings, spinning the wild winds of the cyclone and confusing the Dragon.

"Pachy! Skull Charge!" Dahlia commanded as she gripped her steering wheel so hard she shook. Pachy screeched in rage, charging forward and slamming his rock-hard head into the Dragon's chest.

The Dragon screamed as it fell to the floor, lashing its tail out at its attackers. It then managed to get to its feet, extending its crushed and broken wings as it taunted the vivosaurs and their fighters.

"This is insane!" the Captain exclaimed in frustration, "Just how strong was Tria?!"

"Strong enough to stand against the teams of her parents and mine." Elric replied grimly, "We can't defeat her body like we would a vivosaur. We have to land a fatal blow, one that will shut it down indefinitely."

"How?!" Leon ground out through clenched teeth, "Our attacks are barely fazing her!"

"We need to attack a single, vital area all at once!" the Professor stated, "Then we might have a chance!"

Suddenly, the Dragon of Darkness roared, the blackness of its scales deepening. The creature lunged at all of the vivosaurs, so fast that a human eyes couldn't follow, and threw all of them back, leaving them barely standing from its Blind Strike.

"This is bad…" Elric muttered.

"We can't take another hit like that, Captain!" Professor cried fearfully.

"All right, everyone!" the Captain called, "I didn't want to have to use this, but we're out of options." He addressed the Wardens with the commanding, authoritative tone that left no room for argument, "Everyone! There is a button on your Bone Buggies' control panels near your Support Shots. Push it! It'll fire a special Support Shot that will make your vivosaurs able to use their Boost Skills immediately!"

"We have a Support Shot like that?!" Nate exclaimed.

"It's a weapon of last resort we developed a while ago." the Professor explained, "It infuses vivosaur with energy that normally accumulates over the course of a battle. This allows vivosaurs to use their Boost Skills without having to wait, but it has its cost. Vivosaurs that use it can't fight afterward, which leaves them vulnerable."

"But we're finished for sure if we don't use it!" the Captain yelled, overriding the protests before they could even arise, "Everyone! Fire the Boost Skill Support Shot!"

"Yes, sir!" the Wardens yelled back, firing the secret Support Shot. Their vivosaurs became infused with power, all glowing with elemental energy. The vivosaurs roared in unison as they launched their Boost Skills in rapid succession.

"Diva's Dance!"

"Trident Spear!"

"Sail Assailant!"

"Acrobatic Spear!"

"Vibrant Combo!"

"Third Stryke!"

The attacks landed heavy consecutive blows on the dark dinaurian, sending it flying. It fell to the floor, lying there for a minute. The Wardens, the graduates and the veterans, gasped in horror as the Dragon of Darkness struggled to its feet once more, facing them with burning, hateful eyes.

"I don't believe it…" the Captain muttered, falling into a state of shock, "She's still standing…"

"We can't beat her!" Nate cried, panicking, "There's no way!"

"Get ahold of yourself, Nate!" Leon yelled, "We have to stop her! We owe Tria that much!"

"How?!" Roland sobbed fearfully, "Our vivosaurs can't fight anymore!"

Toba and Argento stood in front of the incapacitated vivosaurs, protecting them with what little strength they had left, but it was futile as the Dragon of Darkness retaliated.

"Oh no…" Elric whispered, fear turning into ice-cold terror, "No, no, no, no…"

"What's wrong, Elric?" Penny cried.

"Speak up!" Dahlia added, starting to freak out.

"It's responding…" Elric whispered, "With its own Boost Skill…"

The fighters watched in absolute horror and their vivosaurs trembled as the Dragon of Darkness turned completely black, becoming a red-eyed shadow. Born from the depth and agony of complete hatred, rage, and desire for destruction, the Curse of the Reaper struck all of the vivosaurs on the battlefield, forcing them to retreat into their Dino Gears and return to their fighters before their own lives were snuffed out completely. The fighters were petrified, frozen in place as the shadow stalked toward them.

"This is it!" Nate cried in despair, "We're all gonna die!"

"Stop crying, you baby!" Dahlia yelled, "Don't give up so easily!"

"What do you suppose we do?!" Leon barked back, "The portal closed when she activated her Boost Skill, and we can't contact HQ! What else can we do?!"

"I'm afraid Leon's right…' Elric muttered, even as his eyes scanned the area for a solution, "This might be the end of us."

Suddenly, a loud, powerful roar sounded from behind the Wardens, the grief and despair even causing the Dragon of Darkness to pause for a moment. Nibbles, who had been hiding behind the Bone Buggies during the battle, had transformed into the Crimson Ravager. He roared again and shot forward with reckless abandon, flames shooting from the frill on his head as he sped toward the shadow of his closest and most precious companion. His hatred for the dark energy showed itself loud and clear as he drove his claw directly through the Dragon's chest, breaking the Curse of the Reaper and stopping the Dragon of Darkness for good.

"Nibbles…" Penny sobbed, feeling his pain.

"Did…Did he win?" Nate asked hesitantly.

The Crimson Ravager and the Dragon of Darkness stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Tears fell from Nibbles' eyes as he stared into his friend's tormented soul. His eyes then widened, as did Elric's, as the dinaurian croaked out a few short sounds before collapsing to the floor and lying still.

"I-Impossible…" Elric muttered disbelievingly, tears falling from his eyes once more as he jumped out of his Bone Buggy and rushed over to the Dragon's body.

"Grrr? Grrr!" Nibbles growled desperately, shrinking again and hastily nuzzling the unmoving body. Elric knelt beside the creature's head.

"What's wrong, Elric?" the Captain asked as he and the rest of the Wardens present ran up to the group.

"It…can't be…" Elric whimpered, almost looking smaller as he gently stroked the dark muzzle, "Tria…you're still here?"

Everyone gasped as the dinaurian's battle form disintegrated into a cloud of darkness, rising into the sky and disappearing into nothingness as it was drowned out by the light in the dinaurian's heart. When the dark energy was obliterated, the light faded, leaving the form of the familiar half-dinaurian figure lying on the roof of the Neo Black Whale. Her body was horribly damaged, her torn wings, deep gashes on her arms and legs, the bite wounds on her neck, and the gaping hole in her chest from Nibbles' attack all rendering her nearly unrecognizable, but it was still her. The dark blue hair, white scales, pink stripes under her eyes, black claws, and golden eyes of Tria.

"Tria!" everyone cried, all rushing over and gathering around the wounded half-dinaurian. She was covered in blood, her breathing was labored, and her eyes were shifting in and out of focus. She didn't have long to live.

"Hey…guys…" Tria whispered, bringing more blood with her words, "Great work…you…beat the…darkness…"

"Tria…" Elric said, his voice low and quiet, as if he was afraid he'd scare away what little life his beloved friend had left, "I can't believe you're still here. I thought the dark energy had…" A sniffle cut him off.

"Killed me?" Tria asked knowingly, smiling weakly at her friend, "Heh…it had…mostly."

"Tria!" Nate sobbed, falling to his knees by her side, "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!"

"For what, Nate?" Tria asked, unnecessarily.

"We…" Penny squeaked, her tears silencing her as she gripped Tria's hand, desperately trying to keep her in this world. Roland clung to his Asian comrades.

"We killed you!" Leon yelled, tears streaming down his face, "We attacked you and killed you!"

"How can you be so calm, Tria?!" Dahlia cried, laying her trembling hand on Tria's arm, "You're dying, and it's our fault! Why are you so calm?!"

"Dahlia…" Tria sighed, "Leon…Penny…Nate…Roland…" She looked over at her vivosaur companion and childhood friend. "Nibbles…Elric…" She smiled, weak amusement in her voice. "Quite frankly…I don't have the…energy to be…anything but calm."

"Tria's been preparing for this day for years." Elric explained, another tear escaping his eye, "She accepted her fate long ago."

Nibbles whined mournfully, nuzzling his muzzle into Tria's neck, inhaling the part of her scent that had yet to be drowned by the scent of blood and death.

" _I'm sorry…buddy…_ " Tria whispered, nuzzling the little vivosaur in return, " _I should've…told you…_ " She gently licked the side of his muzzle in a final sign of love and affection. " _Don't cry, little one. We have…been freed._ "

Nibbles shook his head, licking her cheek briefly before burying his head in her neck again. " _It's not fair! Why do you have to die?! You should've killed me! That would've gotten rid of the dark energy, wouldn't it?_ "

Now it was Tria's turn to shake her head. " _It may have…but I wouldn't have…accepted it. You've spent your…entire life in the grasp of…Blackraven, suffering…under the influence…of the…dark. You deserve…a chance at a free life…a life filled with…friends and…happiness. I refuse to let you…die without knowing…that life._ "

" _But you deserve that life too!_ " Nibbles argued, refusing to break contact with her, " _You're so kind to everyone! Everyone loves you! You deserve a free life too!_ "

Tria laughed tiredly. " _I've already…had that life. I've known…happiness and love…my whole life. I've had…a good life…now…it's your turn…to be happy._ "

The humans listened as Elric translated the exchange, becoming choked up at Tria's selflessness and acceptance of her death. Captain Stryker, although unable to understand the ancient tongue, could tell that Tria was getting tired, and would soon leave the world of the living. Holding tightly to the sobbing Professor, he knelt at Tria's feet, next to the Asian Wardens.

"Tria." he said, voice tightly controlled, "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear…Captain." Tria whispered, her voice slightly louder to show her respect to her superior.

"I just…want to apologize." the Captain said sadly, gripping Tria's leg to keep her attention, "I didn't trust you on this mission. I doubted your abilities, your words, and your sincerity. I wasn't able to help you or protect Nibbles, and as your Captain, I am deeply ashamed." He clenched his teeth as a single tear slipped past his mask of professionalism. "As your leader, I have failed you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Tria smiled at this rare show of humility from the Captain. She lifted her tail, loosely curling it around the man's arm in a reassuring gesture, the closest thing she could manage to a hug.

"Don't be…so hard on yourself…Captain." she whispered, "You did…everything…you could. You're a…great…leader. Don't…forget…" She trailed off, gasping. The Captain placed a hand over the tail circling his arm in silent thanks.

"Tria…" Professor Little whimpered, sounding, for once, like the little kid it was so easy to forget he was, "Do you really have to leave? We'll miss you."

"I know…Little one…" Tria's voice was practically a sigh by now. She circled more of her tail around the Captain's arm, letting the young Professor hold the end. "It'll be okay…You're strong…You'll be fine."

"You're wrong, Tria!" Leon cried, despairing as he held her other hand, "You're the strongest Warden we have, and more than that, you're our best friend! You can't leave us!"

"Please, Tria! There must be another way!" Dahlia added, still holding onto Tria's arm.

"Maybe we can still save you!" Roland sobbed, his tone betraying the false hope in his own words.

"You can't die, Tria! We're lost without you!" Nate claimed fervently.

"Think about the others!" Penny continued for her friends, "Mei Lian! Hanzo! Becky! Violet! Liu Ren! Sean! Drake! And Lucky too! They all need you as much as we do!"

"Penny…Nate…Roland…Leon…Dahlia…" Tria said quietly, "Listen…don't have…time…" She struggled to lift her arms and gesture for them to get closer. "The Parks…take care of them…Make sure…they're safe…" She smiled. "You're Wardens…Remember that." She then looked over at Nibbles, nuzzling him one more time. " _You too, buddy. These Parks are…your home now…Look after them._ "

Nibbles lifted his head to look at the girl, tears still spilling from his eyes. He nodded, giving her one last loving lick.

Tria looked up at Elric, who had been holding her head in his lap. She gasped, trying to speak, but he shook his head, smiling sadly down at her.

"Don't worry about me, Tria." he said, stroking his friend's hair, "I'll miss you, you know I will, but I'll make it. My life still has purpose, and I'll keep moving forward, with you in my heart, my friend."

Tria's smile widened, and she closed her eyes, satisfied with the knowledge that her friends would be okay. Her breathing slowed and her grip loosened. Her tail unwrapped itself from the Captain's arm and fell from the Professor's grasp to the floor, followed by the weakening of her hold on Penny and Leon's hands. Her friends cried silently, their tears falling on her in a rain of grief as her expression softened, her smile becoming more gentle and peaceful as she sighed in a final farewell. Her body went still as the rest of her vitals failed, finally freeing the young half-dinaurian from the restraints of the mortal realm, leaving behind the pain and the pleasure as her light finally faded completely.

"No matter where you go, Tria, or what you do." the Captain said, looking to the sky in a final ode to the risen angel, "You'll always be one of us, a part of the Wardens. Never forget that."


	39. A New Day

_I don't know if you can see this, or hear my words, but I will write them anyway. Please be patient with me, though, for I have a lot to report. Where to begin…_

 _It's been three months since the fall of Dr. Blackraven and the eradication of the dark energy. The Fossil Parks are continuing to work as they always have, and things seem to have returned to normal._

 _The Asian graduates- Nate, Penny, and Roland- have become a team to be reckoned with. They can complete smaller quests on their own, but once they team up, there are few things they can't handle. Their teamwork is almost as good as yours was. Almost._

 _Mei Lian still trains every day to get stronger, insisting that she needs to become strong enough to stand on her own. I've even seen her mimicking your fighting style; she's surprisingly accurate, despite only having seen you once. You must be so proud. No, that wasn't sarcasm. I mean it. You must be proud of all of your pupils. They're doing well._

 _Hanzo's also learned from you. I've seen him using escape maneuvers that you used, though I can't tell you where or when exactly he learned them. I often see him training with Mei Lian, so maybe they're learning from each other as well. They're also working together more, which I'm sure you're happy about._

 _Liu Ren's a bit of a mystery, although you knew that already. When he's not in his office working or out on missions, he's meditating in the Earth Dragon's cave. He's determined to understand its spirit, just as you did. I've even caught him thanking you during his meditative chants. He is very grateful. We all are._

 _Oh hey, guess what. Leon's actually working in full teams! Mostly with Becky and Lucky, but he's also become a common body guard for Dr. Digmore, who has stepped up his game since freeing you from your stone-sleep. Don't get me wrong, he still has his attitude, but the aim of that attitude has changed. Instead of trying to keep people away, he's driving them forward, motivating them to get stronger, just like you did for him._

 _Lucky's taking a bit longer to recover, but that's to be expected for someone of his age. He's been sticking close to Leon, joining him in almost every mission he goes on. He is glad he got a chance to reconcile with you after you got back from the past. He's also now more determined than ever to become a Warden, so that he can live up to your image. He wants to make you proud. I told him you already are._

 _Becky's stepped up her patrols, wanting to catch anyone even thinking of causing trouble in her Park. I think you've strengthened her sense of justice with your determination and resilience. You taught her what to look for and how to deal with it. And you thought you weren't a good teacher. One more thing you've done for both Becky and Sean is heighten their sense of pride, as Wardens and as Americans. You've shown them what it means to take pride in what you do, as well as who you are, and before you protest, you do take pride in who and what you are. You were never ashamed of yourself, only of the fact that you hid yourself from your friends. They see that, and they don't blame you. But, of course, you know that already. You heard them yourself, after all. Just thought I'd remind you of the fond regard in which the Wardens see you, even now._

 _Speaking of Sean, he's been hard at work balancing his duties as a Park Leader with his life as a masked fighter. It's not easy, as I'm sure you can imagine, but you know how energetic Sean is. If anyone can do it, it's him. He still gives you a lot of the credit for his return to the Fossil Stadium, as does his sister. They're both eternally grateful to you, as is Dino Gigante, who is disappointed that he won't get a chance to face you, but thanks you for getting his rival to return. Their fans are grateful to you as well, and even mourned your death together. Never underestimate the power, and loyalty, of a devoted fanbase._

 _In Europe, things are progressing as usual. Dahlia is actually starting to enjoy her patrols, and they've gotten more thorough. She hasn't slowed down at all, as I'm sure you guessed, but she's paying more attention to her surroundings. Her thought process is amazingly fast, so she processes information at a speed that exceeds most humans. I'd really like to see what kind of Warden she becomes when she gets older and more experienced. Also, she drives around each site multiple times. That helps, I suppose. I can almost hear you laughing. You probably are._

 _Violet spends a lot of her time at the Crystal Ball +1, and her psychic abilities are actually improving, even away from it. She can sense trouble now, and her intuition is becoming a valuable source of information that the Wardens and civilians alike are coming to. I knew she had a gift when she located the Neo Black Whale, but even I was amazed when she foresaw your death. She's described it to me as you closing your eyes and crying as you were consumed by darkness. Pretty accurate, don't you think? She did see your human disguise, but that's not too surprising. She wasn't aware of your true form, and it still got the point across. Oh, and before I forget, Violet claims she gets messages from you sometimes, mostly words and feelings of encouragement. Is that true? Heh. Knowing you, it probably is._

 _Drake seems to be gaining more confidence since you accepted him as your Paleo Pal. Everyone used to fear him, so he learned to fear himself, which is why he's so timid and doesn't like to fight. The Parks have tried to make him feel welcome, but it was your direct and fearless acceptance of his true nature that is really starting to bring him out of his shell. His rage seems to have more control, though, likely in response to the fear he felt when he heard about how you lost control. The Captain brought a camera with him to record your final battle for analysis once things calmed down, though so far he's the only one who's seen it. No one else has._

 _Speaking of analysis, Professor Little has finally gotten back to work studying in his lab with Yamamoto. The young genius took your death very hard. He looked up to you, you know? I've caught the Captain carrying out the father role for him quite often, reading him bedtime stories and holding him while he cries. Yamamoto's also been playing the role of older brother for his mentor. It really is easy to forget how young Professor Little really is, with his level of intelligence. He's still not allowed to look at the video of you yet. He's not ready. No one is._

 _On to Captain Stryker. Being the leader of the Wardens as a whole, he's kept himself professional. He grieved over your loss, everyone did, but he knows that they need to keep moving forward and use the opportunity for a better future that you bought for them. He plans to hold a tournament in your honor, a proposal with which everyone agrees. I know what you're thinking. Not very creative, I know, but wait, there's more. There's going to be a Time Attack tournament as well, an idea put forward by, can you guess? All of the Wardens are going to participate, and the Captain has asked me to join him and the Professor as a team. How could I possibly say no? You'll get a kick out of the final, though. It's a doozy._

 _Speaking of the final, or rather the double final, your team took your death the hardest, which is to be expected. Gorgo has devoted himself to hunting down and capturing aggressive rogues, especially ones that had been abused, so that they can get the same kind of help he got. Thalasso flies around the Fossil Parks, patrolling them from the sky and assisting when he deems it necessary. Stego has made a habit of going to the Stadium during field trips and letting the kids climb and sit on her while they listen to stories from the other Wardens, although she occasionally lets a tear slip when they tell your story (less graphically, of course). Diplo helps with exploring new areas and possible dig sites, carrying people and vehicles on his back and helping them form paths to otherwise inaccessible areas. Lythro has found a place at the Vivosaur Gym, where he helps Wardens and vivosaurs train by serving as their opponent. And Nibbles. Ah, Nibbles._

 _Nibbles took a while to get over your death. He still blames himself for killing you, no matter how many times we've told him it was for the best. At first, we were worried that he would regress into his former hateful state. However, he surprised us. After about a month of sulking on your bed, he came out and started helping with missions. He's taken on the role of alpha of your team, the position you once held, and has appointed Gorgo second-in-command, his former position. Thanks to the translator Professor Little recently invented, Nibbles and all of the vivosaurs can communicate with humans and organize their own actions. It really is amazing, and it's all thanks to you. I wish you could be here to enjoy it. Oh dear, now I'm tearing up again. Please forgive me._

 _Back to the double final of the Angel's Cup (That's what they're calling it. I like it.). Whichever Warden team makes it to the finals will have to face two of the strongest teams in the history of the Wardens, teams that were trained in teamwork from the very beginning. The first team is Thalasso, Stego, and Diplo, with Thalasso acting as leader. The three work well as a team and get along as friends, which will make them quite formidable. If the finalist team defeats them, they're in for an even bigger challenge with the more battle-worn part of your team: Gorgo and Lythro, led by Nibbles. They will not go down easily. It's bound to be an interesting tournament. I'm sure it'll live up to the girl it's honoring, with all the spirit she exhibited throughout her life. You will watch, won't you?_

 _Hm? What about me? Well, I was going to head back to our home time after our mission was completed, but I've decided to stay here a little while longer. Even though I'm a foreigner here, the Wardens have welcomed me into their ranks, just as they did with you. This era still has many dangers, and I want to help protect the Parks you love so much. Besides, you're still here, Tria._

Elric closed the journal and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He hadn't intended that entry to be as long as it was. He looked at the book again.

It was a simple brown journal Tria had brought from their home time. Ever since she'd arrived in the Fossil Parks, she had recorded every event she experienced, right down to the smallest detail she could remember. Before leaving on her final mission, she had given the journal to Elric, who had filled in the gaps in her story that she hadn't been present to witness. After Tria's death, he'd started using the journal to write letters to her, giving her updates on the status of her friends, vivosaurs, and parks. He didn't know whether or not she actually read them, but it still felt good to write down his thoughts and feelings. It was his way of coping.

Elric looked at the picture of Tria on his phone, the one he had obtained when they had registered each other as Paleo Pals, smiling at the image of his closest and most precious friend. Professor Little, who had invented the device given to all the Wardens, had altered the picture so that Tria's true form was shown as well as her human disguise, so that they could remember her true identity as well as the illusion they had first known. Elric then looked around the room the Wardens had lent him. He had told them he didn't need it, that he didn't want to be a bother, but the Wardens had insisted. He was Tria's close friend, so they felt they should at least show him that hospitality. They also had a lot of questions for him, and they just kept coming up with more as time went on. Not that he was complaining, really. He liked it in the Wardens' era. He felt like he fit in there, and he could feel how Tria did as well. She really belonged with the Wardens, even more than she did in her own time. It made sense that this was the world she was finally at peace in, the one she had lived and died for. Elric smiled, the sorrow at the thoughts of his closest friend gradually giving way to fondness.

He walked outside into the warmth of the midday sun, waving at the Asian team of Tria's fellow graduates as they led a large group of kids on a tour of Paradise Beach. He took a deep breath, taking a moment to just feel the life all around him as he looked toward the sky.

" _Tria._ " he growled in his rough use of the ancient tongue, the one word he had learned to say, "Your world is safe. The light has returned to the hearts of its inhabitants. Your job is done." He smiled again, looking up at the bright blue sky, and held out his arms, as if to embrace it.

 _Thank you._

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I almost never leave notes like this, but I feel I must make an exception here. Some of you are probably wondering why this story isn't categorized as a tragedy, even though it has a tragic ending. That is because this story will have a SEQUEL, and Tria will be in it, alive. That story will be based on the post-game events in Frontier, and it will include characters like Daisy, Frett, and Prescott. It will also expand on characters like Olga and Kowloon. I realize some readers won't like the existence of a sequel, so I won't be upset or disappointed if some ignore it, but I will try to make it live up to the standard left by its predecessor. I just had too many ideas not to write. Thank you for reading this story, and for your lovely comments, and I hope to see you in the next story.

Thank you as always,

Shadow


End file.
